Over the Edge
by MyVampireBunny
Summary: Punished by the Society for reasons kept in the dark, Zero finds himself staring Death in the face. During the last week of his life, the young hunter barely has the time to notice the way Kaname keeps looking at him. But will ignoring him be so easy?KxZ
1. Prologue

**AN: **Oh boy:P Look at me and my starting a brand-new story while I still have one in the works (ehem). Well, in my defense, this idea kind of hit me really, _really_ hard, and I just couldn't find it in my heart to ignore it:D Plus, I just got a new computer and lost all my old documents, sooo…

Disclaimer: I no own the Vampire Knight. It all belongs to the wonderful Matsuri Hino:D

ENJOY!:D

**Chapter 0: Prologue**

_Don't blink; they won't even miss you at all. –A Day to Remember (I'm Made of Wax, Larry, What are You Made of?)_

Standing beneath the empty, lifeless shell of a building now rarely ever used, the hunter can afford to feel nothing but anxiety. He knows very well what the place is used for – especially since he's visited on multiple occasions upon being given invitations that he could not ignore. This time, though, the invitation was one of a more urgent matter.

Rather than the normal "highly recommended that you attend such a meeting", he received, "miss at your own risk". It unnerved him to see such words written so delicately, in the President's finest cursive, as if he wasn't about to walk right into what could very possibly be his own death sentence.

He could not, for the life of him, remember what he had done wrong. But he knew that the ground beneath him was washed every month of the blood that had stained the wooden planks during such events; when hunters were put to death for a crime that they had _definitely_ committed. There was no turning back once he was where he was now. It was over.

Staring up at the President, he smiles in a way that is almost playful. If the President does this, he thinks, she'll only be giving me what I want. My only regret will be never getting to say goodbye to Yuuki.

He almost shrugs his shoulders. How many times has he left without telling her, planning to never return?

"Zero Kiryu?" The President's voice is silk against the rough, hollow space around him. It's almost peaceful, minus, of course, the blood at his feet that has yet to be cleaned. "Do you realize what's about to happen?"

Rather than giving a verbal answer, he nods his head yes. His smile is still there, an attack against the President and her tricky ways in a way that he knows will get to her.

But she's not as weak as he assumes. She smiles back. "Good." She motions with her hand to the guards surrounding every possible exit – even the windows. "Then I'm sure you'll be a good boy and listen, correct? You've seen what happens to those who don't."

Once again, he nods his head. He's also seen what's happened to those who speak out of line.

She rests her head on her open palm and nods, almost in a bored manner. "You have a week to make things right, Kiryu. Don't mess anything up."

His eyes widen in shock. Never, in all of his years as a hunter, has he heard of a _week_ before execution. Sure, some people were given a day to sort out whatever issues they had at home, but even that was rare when this particular President was giving orders.

She smiles sweetly. "I have a soft spot for you, Kiryu. Believe it or not." Her chuckle carries towards his ears and makes him flinch. God, he hates her. "Besides, you're such a special case. I assume you've made too many enemies to count in your current state." She waves her hand as if to single out the vampire coursing through his veins. "Fix your mistakes, Kiryu. God knows you've made them."

And, in the blink of an eye, he's ushered out the door while someone un-locks his hand-cuffs.

* * *

He doesn't know what he's done.

Honestly, he's been better than good the past year – taking missions when asked and keeping his gun pointed at Level E's rather than the nobles in the Night Class. He's had no incidents, made no mistakes. Even his _grades_ are spotless – A's in every class.

And yet he has seven days to live.

It's not like he's complaining. In the end, he still hates his life. But why does he have to wait _seven whole days_?

Sighing helplessly, Zero turns his head towards the sky, watching the clouds move as their shapes twist with the wind.

Now he has to say goodbye to Yuuki, to the Headmaster, and…

He feels an ache form somewhere in his chest when he thinks about having to say goodbye to Yagari. After all they've been through…and now he has to leave, this time for good. There's no more running away. This time, saying goodbye to Yagari will be permanent.

But he can't think that way.

Doing so will only make him turn his back on his own punishment, which will only make things a million times worse.

As Cross Academy comes into view, he makes a quick decision.

While he doesn't know about fixing his mistakes, Zero wants to_ do_ something with the last week of his life. For once, he wants to _feel _life. Call him whatever you want, but, just this once, he wants people to look at him and wish they were him. He wants to do what he never once thought he would just for the sake of doing it.

He wants to make these last few days worth living.


	2. SkyDiving

**AN: **Ah, the glorious feeling of an update:3 I'd like to thank all of the people who bothered to review, since your questions/words of wisdom inspired me to write 'till my fingers bled:P Really, the support was amazing, and I hope I don't dissapoint with this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **All rights belong to the gorgeous Matsuri Hino!

**Chapter One: Sky-Diving**

_Well, I've been afraid of changin', cuz I built my life around you. -Landslide, Stevie Nicks_

"Yuuki, would you like to go somewhere with me today?"

Looking up from her soup with wide, un-blinking eyes, the silver-haired hunter has to hide a smile behind his palm. Does she _always_ have to look so damn innocent?

"What did you just ask again, Zero?" she asks, surprise barely hidden in her voice. "I'm not sure I heard you correctly."

"Would you like to go somewhere with me today?" he repeats. When she gives him the same look, he rolls his eyes and takes a seat in the empty chair beside her. "Look, I've been in an…_adventurous_ sort of mood lately, and I would really hate to have to go off adventuring on my own." He pulls his face in to one of those puppy-dog pouts he's seen the Headmaster use so many times before, knowing very well how it gets to her. "I know I don't often ask you along, but I really…"

Before he can finish, her tiny arms are thrown around his shoulders as she slams their bodies together, nearly knocking them backwards. "Are we going to town? Are we going _shopping_?"

He takes a deep breath as he shakes his head, suddenly very scared that she'll change her mind. He really doesn't want to do this alone, especially when his time with her is almost up. "Not exactly." Running fingers through his hair, Zero feels his hope slipping. "I was _actually_ hoping to go sky-diving."

Loosening her grip on his shoulders, she pulls away to stare at him doubtfully. "You mean, like…jumping from a _plane_? With a _parachute_?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "We could go without one, if you'd like."

Playfully punching his left arm, she can't help but to smile. "Well, as long as it's okay with the Headmaster… May I ask, though, why _sky-diving_ comes to mind when you think of taking an adventure?"

_Because it's the first thing every dying person seems to want to do? _"Thinking outside the box, I guess." Carefully examining her expression, he lets out a mental sigh of relief. She seems calm, normal. Like he didn't just ask her to go sky-diving.

Like he isn't about to die.

Not that she'll know 'till it's too late, of course.

* * *

"I really don't know why you're doing this, Kiryu," the Headmaster grumbles, keeping his hands held steadily on the wheel as he glares at the boy sitting beside him through the corner of his eye. "And why, may I ask, are you dragging _Yuuki _along? What if something happens to her? To _you_?"

Yuuki pipes up from the back seat before Zero can get a word in. "It's alright, Papa, we'll be safe!" She glances at Zero with a smile while he nods his approval for pulling the Papa card. It always worked. _Always_.

"Yah, _Papa_," Zero says sarcastically. "I won't let anything happen. Have a little faith."

He shakes his head. "Oh, I have plenty of faith, Kiryu. Excuse me for worrying over my children."

"Not your children," Zero mumbles under his breath, almost smiling. In the end, he knows he'll think of these meaningless little arguments as the President pulls the trigger. While he doesn't want to admit it to anybody but himself, he's actually incredibly grateful for the Headmaster's worry. Other than Ichiru and Yuuki, he's never had someone like that. It's nice to look at the man and see a father, even if he vehemently denies it to the man's face.

While the Headmaster seems cold about the whole situation, Zero can see the worry in his eyes. Deep down, Zero knows he and Yuuki are the only two people Cross has.

_How will react to losing me?_

His own train of thought gets him to roll his eyes. Can he _be_ any sappier?

He's half a thought from taking the gun and ending it himself…

When Yuuki's smile in the mirror gets him to change his mind. "I'll take care of Zero," she nearly sings, as if it's easy – as if it won't be the other way around no matter what she says. "He'll be fine!"

Cross' eyes soften the slightest bit. "I know he will be, Yuuki. You'll both be just fine." Just by the way he says it, Zero can tell he's reassuring himself more than anyone else.

The rest of the drive is spent in silence – the sound of air rushing past the open windows being the only thing keeping them awake. It was, after all, ten in the morning, much too early for Zero and much too late for Yuuki, leading her to an hour-long ride of boredom. She twirled her hair around her fingers, hummed very, _very_ quietly, and organized a stack of Cross' papers that he had left in a clutter all over the back seats. It was never enough to keep her thoughts away from the boy in the passenger seat, sitting with his shoulders slumped and forehead pressed against the glass.

Eventually, she gave up and just sat there, staring at him curiously. While she didn't often question his actions – simply because Zero was Zero – she found herself pondering over their current situation.

As rebellious as he is, Zero isn't one to impulsively jump from planes. She can't shake the thought that something bigger than him is pushing him to do this. He _had_ to have a reason. Maybe he's planning on meddling with the parachute so that he can fall to his death? Was this a suicide mission?

Panic grips her heart, but it's short-lived.

Zero wouldn't drag her along if that's what it was all about.

He'd never want her to see that, even if he made a big show about her being the one to kill him. She knows Zero better than he knows himself, and she knows for a fact that he loves his life more than he thinks.

Because he's Zero.

And Zero won't ever leave her.

* * *

Examining Yuuki's shocked expression, Zero can't hide his smile. He watches as she turns to see the Headmaster drive away, his own eyes watching through the mirror as his two beloved children become nothing but small spots in the distance. She seems to long for his return more than anything, even if she's over the moon about being alone with her adoptive brother.

"Um, Zero?" she asks, poking at her bottom lip in a curious fashion. She always did that when she was nervous. "This doesn't look much like an airport."

His eyes travel to the small, white building. It was in terrible need of a paint job, and _probably_ shouldn't have been leaning that way. He shrugs. "Well, the planes they use here aren't the ones people travel in, Yuuki. They're meant for jumping from. Besides, it's still an airport."

"Are you_ sure_? Maybe you got the wrong directions."

Rolling his eyes, he begins to walk, knowing she'll follow. Using his advanced eye-sight, he gets a good look at the people hiding behind the glass doors, hoping to get a good feel of how trustworthy they are. They don't look too sketchy, and they were pretty quiet.

Nothing to worry about here, he thinks.

Before he can open the door, he's met by a spunky young blonde with wild, blue eyes. She smiles up at him, cocking her head a good bit backwards to watch him. "You here for a ride?" she asks, her accent not hiding the suggestive way she voices the question or the way she thrusts her chest upwards a bit.

When he doesn't answer, she rolls her eyes and reaches her hand out to shake his. He does so willingly, uses his senses to make sure that Yuuki hasn't run away yet. Maybe he was wrong about these people. "The name's Sherry," she drawls, batting her eyelashes before angling her head to see over her shoulder. She gives Yuuki a cold look before returning her attention back to Zero. "I'll be your instructor today if you plan on jumpin'."

His smile is tight and short-lived as he raises his eyes to examine the others waiting inside, all of them men and probably used to this girl's antics by now. They send him comforting smiles and nods that tell him all he needs to know. "Where can I pay?" he asks, hoping to get as far from her as possible. Maybe he can convince one of the male instructors to fit him in. No way in hell he's going to expose Yuuki to this sort of behavior.

Sherry seems to consider her options before smiling. "Don't worry, sweetie. It's on the house…for both of you." Her eyes dart towards Yuuki as she grabs Zero's hands. "I've got these guys!" she calls over her shoulder, most likely addressing the man at the register who seems the slightest bit upset at the loss of a potential _paying_ customer. "Now, we'll have to get you all suited up if you want this to go smoothly…"

Zero casts an apologetic smile behind his shoulder as he watches a giggling Yuuki skipping to keep up.

* * *

"Come _on_!" Sherry growls, jerking her arm in an attempt to get Yuuki to take her hand. "Quit being such a baby and grab my freaking _hand_!"

Yuuki looks past Sherry to Zero, who's nodding his approval. She swallows enough to muster her confidence before grabbing the strange woman's hand and allowing herself to be pulled up inside the almost hollow shell of the plane. Angling her head, she sees two seats at the front, one of them occupied by a man who she assumes to be the pilot, and nothing but empty space and few spare bags in the back. She nearly complains about the lack of seating until she realizes that it's not just her and Zero anymore.

She takes a few cautious steps forward and winces as Sherry slams the door shut. The taller woman waves her hand at the pilot, telling him to start the engine and get things moving. Smiling, she turns back to Zero, barely acknowledging the other passenger. "Now, while the plane takes off…" Her words are cut short as the plane gives a violent jerk, but she shakes her head and keeps on going, probably more than used to it by now. "If you feel sick at _all_, tell me. You won't be jumpin' today if you feel you might spill your lunch."

At this point, Zero can feel Yuuki's fear. It's nearly crippling, distracting his senses and making it damn near impossible to focus on the instructions he should probably be paying attention to. While she was used to jumping from heights, Zero knew that jumping from a plane was ten hundred times different than jumping from the roof of a two or three story building.

While keeping his eyes on the instructor, he grabs Yuuki's hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. He's almost in shock when his heart doesn't sky-rocket like it once might have, but another jerk from the plane steals his attention.

He glances worriedly at the over-excited blonde standing before him. "Are we _supposed_ to be moving like this?"

She glares at him, as if angered by his doubtfulness. "Ain't afraid of a little _bumpin'_, are ya?"

He barely fights a gag of disgust. "Look, I…"

Cutting him off with a raised hand, she points out the window. "Ain't it gorgeous?"

When Yuuki gasps, he decides to turn his head. She tugs excitedly on his hand as she jumps up and down, receiving a cold glare from Sherry. "Look, Zero! Isn't it amazing?"

He can't lie; the sight_ does_ take his breath away. Lush, green forests spotted with colors ranging from pink and white to yellow and red. Streams cutting through and leading into huge, sparkling rivers that gently undulate with clear water. With his sight, he can even see animals scuttling through the leaves with noses to the ground or picking at food sources with hungry determination.

His eyes travel towards Sherry, who's given up on glaring at Yuuki and has taken to examining the view alongside her students. Despite her slutty exterior, he can't help but to admire her beauty when she_ isn't_ humping his leg – so to speak. "It's nice," he says, not wanting to spoil his bad-boy reputation in front of Yuuki for the sake of some nice scenery. "But when do we start jumping?"

He doesn't miss the way Yuuki rolls her eyes.

Checking her imaginary watch, Sherry smiles. Waving her hand at the pilot, she nods her head enthusiastically and points to the door. "Now seems as good a time as any, doesn't it?"

* * *

"Just let me check a few last-minute details…" Sherry mumbles as she moves from Yuuki to Zero, tightening straps and folding out wrinkles in their suits, as if every insignificant detail was a matter of their survival. She took a second too long tugging at the straps around his chest, and he had to restrain himself from knocking her out when she brushed past his neck with a suggestive flutter of her fingers. He would have, had Yuuki not been there.

"You," she says, pointing to Zero. "Are gonna jump first. Then you, little miss sissy-pants, are going to count to ten before going after. I'll follow along. When you start to get scared, pull the chord and you'll get your parachute. Just _please_ don't pull as soon as you jump. You'll break something."

"Watch it," Zero murmurs when Sherry sticks her tongue out at Yuuki, who very eagerly returns the action. "No fighting on a plane."

"Whatever," Sherry grumbles. "Y'all best not break anything; that's all I know. Now, brace yourself in front of the door." She nods at Zero, who, after smiling assuredly at Yuuki, takes the stance he was told to use in front of the door. He watches as Sherry's hand travels towards the handle and takes a long sweep of air into his lungs, holding it as her hand braces for the push. "You best not be changin' your mind now, mister…"

He scowls. "Hey…"

And then the door whacks outward, slamming against the metal shell of the plane. A strong, sucking motion begins to tug at him, and, as much as he wants to use his superior strength to fight it – purely out of instinct – he pushes it away in order to save himself the suspicion he knows he'd otherwise receive.

He allows his feet to be swept outwards before his body falls into a position that is often associated with flying – stomach down, arms and legs stuck out. He feels his stomach as it surges upwards. His lips part to form a scream, but the fall makes it impossible.

Instead, he allows himself to_ feel_ it all.

The glorious sensation of wind whipping past his face; twisting and curling his hair. The way his body fights the way he nearly floats as strong currents of air keep him from falling too fast and landing too quickly. The heart inside his chest – beating too fast and pumping adrenaline through his veins. The way he feels _alive_.

He almost doesn't want to pull the parachute.

He doesn't want this feeling to go away.

He'd very willingly die right now.

If only Yuuki's screams of delight weren't right behind him, practically forcing his hand to fly to the parachute chord and to pull.

As the large body of cloth unfolds, he allows himself to be plucked upwards. He lets out an "oomph" of surprise due to how strong the force actually is, but, other than that, he's perfectly content to float – this time more smoothly - with his hands wrapped around the straps of the parachute and the ground very slowly coming closer.

He doesn't want it to end – not yet. He's half-tempted to try it again; or to keep trying it for seven days straight. But the remainder of his bucket list is calling, tempting him with offers that, while they may not be as exhilarating, are just as valuable.

Just as life-changing.

And, hopefully, just as_ fun_.

* * *

Waving goodbye to Sherry, Zero happily grabs Yuuki's hand and holds the door open for her exit.

"Did you like it?" he asks, more than pleased to watch the light blossom in her eyes as she takes a trip back in time.

"Oh, Zero, it was amazing! We absolutely_ have_ to do it again!" She stares up at him in child-like wonder, begging silently for more time with her adopted brother. She doesn't want it to end; she loves Zero so much. Just to be asked to do this together…Well, she wanted to be asked a million times over. She'd die doing this if it made Zero smile half as much as he was now.

Giving a low laugh in response, Zero pulls his hand away from hers and waves towards the Headmaster, who's bouncing in his seat in anticipation. He can practically read the man's thoughts. _They're alive! Thank the gods!_

"Maybe we will, Yuuki," Zero says, nodding his head to show how much he means it. Yes, he wants to. Yes, he would very willingly do it again.

But he only has seven days to live.

* * *

Knocking gently on her door, Zero finds himself smiling at the surprised shriek Yuuki gives from inside her room, obviously not expecting any guests so late. His heart is beating a bit faster, surging with the excitement of getting to see her just one last time before the first of his seven days disappears.

Opening the door wide, he finds himself melting in relief at the smile on her face. She's happy, he thinks. I've done my job well, then.

"Zero?" she asks, still smiling, if not a bit shyly. "Is everything okay?"

He nods his head before reaching forward to grab her hand, acting more on impulse than anything.

He's surprised when there's no current of electricity or flash of heat, but it's short-lived. He knows, now, that, while he may love Yuuki, it's not in the way he once did. This time, he wants to make her smile because she's his sister.

It's as much as a shock to him as it would be to everybody else.

"I just wanted to say goodnight, that's all," he whispers, knowing that she isn't alone in the room she shares with that Sayori girl.

She giggles happily. "Well, goodnight to you, too, Zero!"

Acting on the damned impulse again, he pulls her forward and plants a kiss on her cheek. "You know I love you, right? You're the best sister a guy could have." His voice is soft and melancholy, but only because it's finally sinking in. He's about to lose the ones he loves.

"I love you, too, Zero." She wraps her tiny arms around his waist and squeezes as tight as she can, suddenly feeling very protective over her older brother. Her instincts are telling her to keep him close – to see that he never leaves.

But why, when he's already so close?

* * *

AN: YAY! Chapter one down!

~happy dances~

Anyhooo, I hope you don't mind the fact that Yuuki is acting like a total five-year-old in this. I didn't want to make her a bad guy since I actually do kinda like her.  
Oh, and Zero. I guess he's a bit OOC, since he's not pulling out his gun every five seconds and all.

From now on, I'll be basing the chapters around Kaname and Zero. I just didn't want Zero and Yuuki's relationship to burn up in ashes like every other writer on this site who meshes KanaZero together seems to enjoy doing:P She loves Zero, too.

And, on a side note, doesn't Kaname kinda remind you of Kiba from Wolf's Rain? If you've read it, that is. Tell me whatcha think so I know I'm not the only crazy one?

Review?:D


	3. Rock Concerts

**AN: **Thanks for the reviews, folks:D

**Disclaimer: **Rights belong to the GORGEOUS Matsuri Hino.

* * *

**Chapter Two: **Rock Concerts  
_I feel so broken up, and I give up. I just want to tell you so you know. Here I go, scream my lungs out and try to get you. You are my only one. ~Yellowcard, _The Only One

Waking because of the insistent hand on his shoulder, the silver-haired hunter throws back the sheets and swings his arm to the right in order to search out his beloved _Bloody Rose_. He swipes it from the night-stand and aims it at the forehead hanging above him. All in a matter of seconds.

His sigh of relief settles Yuuki's heartbeat as she watches his hand fall back onto the mattress, dropping the gun in the sheets. "You scared the shit out of me, Yuuki," he mumbles while running a shaking hand through his silver tresses. "I thought you were one of those god-damned bloodsuckers…"

She smiles before reaching forward to ruffle his hair – an action that would have annoyed the hell out of him, had he not six days left to live. "It's okay, Zero! I understand!" Opening her eyes, he finds himself catching his breath at the care he sees there.

Damn, he thinks. I sure pick the best of times to start noticing these things. Now, all I've got is another reason to run away from this…

"So, what does the mighty adventurer wish to do today?" she asks before crawling onto his bed and staring expectantly at him. "I could barely sleep last night, I was so excited! Yesterday was so much fun…" Somehow, he manages to miss the giant flash of worry that consumes her features for the briefest of moments as her voice fades to a much softer level.

_I just worry about him so much. I know he'd kill me if he knew, and he wouldn't believe it if I told him anyways…_

At this question, he smiles. "Well, I was hoping you'd attend a concert with me."

Her eyes grow to the size of plates at she digests the information. "A _concert_?" The idea of something so foreign excites her, but not just because it's a concert. By going with Zero, she'll be getting the added bonus of figuring out what type of music the mysterious boy listens to. While she'd often caught him dozing off with a pair of head-phones dangling from his ears, she'd never been given the chance to hear any of his songs. When asked, he'd always avoid the question.

"Yes, Yuuki, a _concert_!" The sarcasm isn't missed – obvious by the way she pouts and punches his arm as hard as she can (which, really, isn't hard at all).

Laughing it off, Zero straightens up and nods his head. "It's not 'till later on tonight, though. We'll have to lie to the Headmaster…"

Scrunching her eyebrows together, Zero can see the guilt already tainting the young Guardian's fair features. "How late _exactly_?"

He shrugs his shoulders in a very nonchalant manner. "Midnight…ish…"

She bites her lip before getting the chance to protest. _Time with Zero is precious! I'm not about to waste it so soon!_

She nods. "If it's what you want, then…"

* * *

After showering, Zero throws on a t-shirt and jeans, towel-dries his hair, and ponders a bit over what to do with the third ticket he's acquired. Because he won them over the radio – in a competition that he had only entered because the Headmaster had insisted the hunter _do_ something with his life – he can't exactly give one back. Selling them is completely irrational considering his type of music is so different from what everyone else listens to. He strays as far as possible from that bubble-gum pop nonsense.

But he doesn't like to waste things.

Especially since, had he bought them, he would have spent over five-hundred dollars - just on three tickets. That was a lot of money for any one person to spend, and the thought that he may have lost his use for one…

Running his fingers through his hair in a dejected manner, he throws the tickets on his dresser, tosses his towel in the hamper, and heads off for breakfast with Yuuki and the Headmaster.

* * *

He knows what he's walking into even before entering the room. Having caught the scent on the wind, he feels a shudder of disgust ripple through his body at the thought of having to eat alongside that arrogant, blood-sucking, _pureblood_…

Had Yuuki not been behind that door, he wouldn't have even bothered with setting his hand on the doorknob.

"Looks like we have company," he says with a nod as he walks into the Headmaster's kitchen, noticing the strong scent of spices in the air. "A little strong for breakfast, don't you think?" He glances at the busy Headmaster before surveying the mess the man had made with a few eggs and a handful of some peppers he's never seen before.

He ponders the idea of helping before realizing that his – _embarrassing_ – culinary skills are ones he wants to take to the grave. Literally. There's no need to let people see that side of him.

Instead, he nods at the Headmaster's work, forces a smile, and turns to face Yuuki. He tosses a warm smile in her direction, barely managing to fight his impulse to glance at the revolting…_thing_ sitting beside her. "Morning, Yuuki," he greets. Doing his best to please her expectant glance, he nods pathetically at Kaname in an attempt to at least be the_ slightest_ bit civil. While he's already seen her, he's doing his best to make it seem like they _aren't_ planning on sneaking out to see some concert that their adopted father definitely would _not_ approve of.

Kaname smiles at the hunter's back as he spins around to grab an apple from a basket on the counter. _Ah, I should have expected nothing less. He doesn't wish for your kindness, Kuran, remember?_

Zero smiles at the Headmaster and feels the strong urge to run when he smiles back with a fatherly sort of warmth. "Morning, Kiryu. I hope you like eggs…"

Well, not when _you_ make them, he thinks. "Love 'em," he says.

"Perfect! We'll have a nice family meal together…" His voice trails off as he takes notice of the fleeting, cold look to the hunter's lilac eyes. He clears his throat and continues chopping his onions. _Maybe asking Kaname to breakfast wasn't such a good idea…_

Rather than voicing his opinion, the hunter takes an eager, hungry bite from the apple and looks out the window, lost in a world made entirely of the memories he had forgotten he had. So many morning meals with the Headmaster and Yuuki, so many cooking catastrophes and abominations, so many smiles and so much laughter…

He barely notices the burgundy eyes burning holes in his back.

That is, until, Yuuki asks the pureblood a question she doesn't think Zero can hear.

"Why are you staring at Zero, Kaname?"

Her voice is innocent, lacking even in seriousness as she giggles behind her hand in an attempt to hide her humor from the wide-eyed pureblood. Zero can feel Yuuki's eagerness, but it takes him a little bit longer to realize that he, too, is straining just a bit more to hear the answer. He's nearly on his toes by the time the pureblood answers.

"I was just admiring the view."

The Headmaster actually laughs out loud at that one.

Screw this, Zero thinks. That bastard's going down…

Before he can start screaming, Kaname raises his hands in surrender. He even goes as far as to wave a napkin in the air, further pissing off the irate hunter before him.

No one but Kaname notices the apple flying through the air until it's too late, but it doesn't matter much when the pureblood catches it. Everyone in the room freezes as they watch him eagerly lick at the spots the hunter had torn chunks from only a minute or so before. His tongue winds small circles over the torn, red flesh and slides past the bumps in a way that reminds even him of eating an ice-cream cone. He almost laughs. Their faces are priceless – easily comical to any person who isn't them.

Even Zero, who looks torn between anger and –dare he think it? –_ longing_, has a strange pull to his facial features, giving him the appearance of a curious child.

Of course, Zero notices this much too fast. By the look in his eyes, Kaname knows that he has been found out. He sighs as he pulls his tongue from the sweet fruit, completely unwillingly. _Looks like my aura has been detected._

He should have known not to use his own powers to silence the room. It would only make Zero angrier than he – clearly – already was.

He didn't want to stop it, but…

"YOU _BASTARD_!"

He nearly flinches at the scream that's torn from the young hunter's lips.

Zero can feel the anger coursing through his veins. He feels sick – like he's about to pass out just from the way the pureblood made him feel inside. Was that what a pureblood's aura did? Make people feel lost? Lonely? _Scared_?

His body is shaking, but he can feel that nobody really knows why. They think he's pissed, but they don't really_ know_…

Did they not feel the same way? Had the pureblood's powers not touched them in the same way it had touched him? Was he over-exaggerating simply because he hated him, or were the feelings tearing him up actually _there_…?

Something isn't right.

Something's…choking him…

Of their own accord, his eyes travel upwards to meet Kaname's. The things he sees there…

"Zero and I are going to see a concert tonight!"

His attention is diverted to the previously non-existent girl sitting beside the recent reason for his sour stomach. She clamps her hand over her mouth and gives him a look that reads _I didn't know what else to do!_

His own gaze is meant to soothe her frantic attempts at a silent apology, but he doubts his feelings reach her. He's still a bit shaken up…

Damn purebloods.

The Headmaster drops his attempts at cooking to glare daggers at his adopted son. "A concert, huh?"

Zero rolls his eyes, trying to seem nonchalant about the whole situation. "You're the reason I won the tickets in the first place!"

He taps his fingers angrily against the counter top, as if waiting for a better reason to come walking from the cabinets. Sure, he's the reason Zero won the tickets, but they weren't even _adults_ yet. Zero still had a year to go until his eighteenth birthday. Without an adult alongside them, there was no way in hell they were getting in.

"Well, unless someone older than you attends…"

Zero watches Yuuki's face fall and feels his own chest tighten at the thought of getting held behind by the man he's only recently learned to admire. While he knows he can sneak out and leave Yuuki behind, it seems too lonely a plan to ever carry through. Besides, the young hunter found he now held too much respect for Cross. He's not about to blow it. That's not the way he wants to go.

He's ready to hang his head in defeat when the one person he doesn't _want _to respect gives him a reason to do just that.

Kaname pulls from his thoughts to save the hunter, even if he doesn't wish to be. Sure, it's for Yuuki, too, but he won't deny the strong urge to give the boy a reason so smile again. "How about I join them? I'm more than old enough to get them in." He can't help but to smile at how brilliant his plan is.

The Headmaster beams alongside Yuuki, who seems seconds away from screaming in delight. Still, their opinion means nothing compared to Zero's. In the end, _he's_ the one with the tickets. _He's_ the one who made the plans. _He's _the one who hates Kaname with a brilliantly burning passion.

All eyes land on the solemn hunter as he trails his eyes along the walls of the room, trying to shake the feelings that he can't seem to get rid of. He barely notices what he's saying when the words fly out. "Yeah, sure. I have an extra ticket and everything."

* * *

The silver-haired hunter examines his reflection in the mirror, not knowing how to feel about the situation he was about to walk straight into. _Why _had he gone and agreed to Kaname's company? Clearly, his head had been in the clouds. To pay for it, he'd have to endure what was _supposed_ to be one of the best experiences of his life alongside the one person he hated more than any other.

His body sags at the thought.

He's gone to great lengths to actually _look good_ for this event. The purple t-shirt he wears fits perfectly and brings out his eyes to the point of making them his most noticeable feature. His jeans are darker and tighter than he's used to, but he had bought them in the case of ever getting to go to such an event. And now...it doesn't even seem worth it.

Kiryu, you need to calm down, he tells himself. You look good, you're about to listen to awesome music, and you'll have Yuuki by your side all night. Screw that pureblood. You don't even have to_ look_ at him if you don't want to. He doesn't even _exist_.

Still, he can't help but to notice that his smile isn't as…_full_ as it once might have been. He's not even excited anymore. The thought of having to be so close to Kaname scares him shitless.

But that's not even the worst part.

He doesn't know _why_ the pureblood scares him.

It's definitely not the fangs, or the strength, or the power. He, too, shares many of the same qualities. He's part vampire, part hunter, making him as strong as – if not stronger than – most of the vampires he's met. Plus, he has a whole ten volumes worth of hunter magic up his sleeve.

But…something about the way he was forced to feel earlier had him stepping carefully around this situation. The way Kaname's aura affected him had left him breathless, and _not_ in a good way. He still feels terribly lonely. Something's missing – something large and horribly important. He doesn't want to die without it.

_But I don't even know what it is!_

He isn't stupid. He knows what pureblood magic can do – what it can make people feel. But Yuuki and the Headmaster – two _humans_ – had felt nothing.

Confused, scared, and _pissed_, he realizes he still has no choice.

Now is as good a time as any to make amends with Kaname Kuran.

(Even if the vampire is a complete and total _ass_. Even if he has a habit of making Zero feel like_ shit_.)

He can't even imagine Yuuki's distress if her two 'best friends' didn't leave on better terms. Somehow, he has to mold years of hatred into something more…_bearable_.

And he has six days to do it.

* * *

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Zero growls. "Kuran, what the hell _is_ this?"

Motioning to the…the…_thing_ before him, the silver-haired hunter finds his patience growing thin. He should have expected nothing less, but _still_…it was a little much.

"We're going to a _rock concert_, Kuran. Not a…a…" He finds his argument falling to pieces when he looks up to meet the sincerity in the pureblood's gaze. He's just trying to be nice, Kiryu, he tells himself. Be thankful he even did this in the first place. He didn't _have_ to, did he? No? Thought so.

Besides, he tells himself, Yuuki seems pretty excited about it all.

His eyes trail away from Kaname to watch Yuuki as she runs circles around the limo, laughing in delight.

"Thank you," he says, surprising even himself as the words leave his lips. He's tempted to see Kaname's reaction, but he's almost afraid to look back into those burgundy orbs. He doesn't need another reason to see – god forbid – the _good_ in Kaname.

The pureblood smiles, suddenly very eager to continue on with this little adventure. "Anything for the ones I love."

The hunter's eyes widen as shock courses through his veins like electricity, pushing him to stand a bit straighter alongside the pureblood. His own lip gets caught between his teeth as he struggles to sort through the thoughts running rampant through his mind.

"Yah," he manages – his voice barely above a squeak.

Clearing his throat, he moves forward, heading towards Yuuki and the limo. "Let's get this over with."

Before he can make it more than a foot forward, a strong hand clamps down on his shoulder, unintentionally locking him in an invincible hold. "I'll take care of her, Zero. You, too. If that's what you're worried about…"

The hunter does his best to shrug the hand from his shoulder. While it falls, he has the slightest suspicion that it has nothing to do with his own strength. "I know you will, Kuran."

He wants to bang his head off of something. _Hard_. Why in the hell does he keep saying things that imply his…his…_respect _for the bloodsucker?

Rather than answering his own question, he shakes his head and moves towards Yuuki, barely giving the limo a second glance. "Let's go, Yuuki. I don't want to be late."

Even though, deep down, he knows he won't be late when Kaname Kuran is the one in charge.

* * *

"_Please_ Zero?" Yuuki asks, standing on her toes so that her head comes square with his collar bone. "I _really_ don't want to wait in this line!" She throws her arm out, motioning with her hand to the large line of sketchy-looking boys and girls as they swarm closer and closer to the arena, pressing to the outer walls of the building and standing on their toes to see towards the ticket-booth. "Pretty please?"

He glances at Kaname, then at the line. He doesn't want to. He_ really_ doesn't want to.

His shoulders sag as he nods his head, completely deflated. Remember, Kiryu, he thinks. You have to fix things with Kaname…for Yuuki's sake.

"You won't hurt anyone?" he asks, only half-joking.

The pureblood smiles right as Zero's breath catches in his throat. He finds his own eyes betraying him as they stare at those full, _pink_ lips for just a second too long. They're even sweeter looking than Yuuki's…which, at one point, seemed a physical impossibility. But now…_He's almost tempted to_…

And then his eyes slide up to meet Kaname's.

He wants to die. He really, _truly_ wants to die.

Kaname_ knows_. He knows what the hunter – _in a state of absolute mind-control, inflicted by some sort of outside force_ – was thinking.

"Go!" he growls, snapping out the word before he can think it through. He turns his head, hoping to God his hair hides his flaming cheeks, as the pureblood rushes past.

He wants to miss the way Yuuki's looking at him, but she's too insistent to ignore. She goes as far as to place herself directly in front of him. Pushing past his bangs like a pestering mother, she narrows her eyes in an attempt to read the emotions playing through the hunter's head. "What's wrong, Zero? Is being with Kaname really that bad?"

Because he doesn't want to answer the question, he changes the subject to something completely random. "You look nice tonight," he mumbles, pulling away from her touch and eyeing her outfit in a nonchalant manner. It wasn't even a lie; she pulled off the look pretty well. White t-shirt, black jeans, converse. Not something Yuuki Cross would otherwise be caught wearing, but something that Kaname had bought her for sake of the occasion.

"Zero, the fact that you're not answering the question means you're feeling something you're ashamed to be feeling."

His head shoots up in an impulsive mark of anger and embarrassment. "Shut the hell up, Yuuki. You have no fucking idea what I'm feeling." He closes his eyes and clenches his fists into tight balls at his side. "I just…I just wish he wasn't here. He pisses me off."

She pouts, clearly not believing what she's hearing. "Zero…"

Suddenly, the line starts moving much too fast to keep such a serious conversation going. The hunter sighs with relief while Yuuki keeps on frowning, struggling to stay beside Zero as people shuffle forward in a surprisingly quick manner. The closer they get, the clearer it is that people only have to flash their tickets to please the seemingly dazed work staff as they wave their hands to any person carrying a rectangular slip of paper.

It takes Zero a moment to realize that Kaname must be behind the whole scheme, obviously having done something with his powers to stun the workers into waving everything off so easily. He can clearly see from a distance that half of the people shuffling past hold nothing but air in their hands. "Idiot…" he mumbles beneath his breath, not even bothering to show his tickets as he files through.

The stadium is huge and dark, barely maneuverable. Thanks to his sight, though, he's able to grab Yuuki's hand and pull her easily towards the middle section of seats.

When he bothers to turn and check to see how Yuuki's handling things, he finds himself face-to-face with Kaname. His eyes dart to see that Yuuki is already sitting down, her back turned to them as she chats away with the boy sitting beside her. She seems a bit shaken up, but nothing that won't fade with a few good songs. Way to make friends, Yuuki, he thinks. Damn, she moves fast...

"You're just letting her talk to some random_ guy_?" he snorts, rolling his eyes. Never in a million years did he picture Kaname Kuran as the jealous type, but he had learned a lot from Yuuki's stories over the past year or so. "I thought she was all yours…"

"She can do as she pleases, Kiryu," the pureblood says. "I have no reason to be jealous of a stranger." Kaname brushes the creases from his slacks before sitting down; skillfully hiding his disgust as the plastic sticks to his bottom for reasons he would rather not think about.

"Whatever. What did you do to those people outside, anyway? They seemed pretty screwed up." The hunter finds himself subconsciously avoiding harsh language – knowing from past experiences just how upset it made the pureblood.

Kaname shrugs, hiding a smile behind his palm as he faked a yawn. "They were easy to please."

Zero blinks back shock as he angles his head to stare blatantly at the vampire. "_What_ were they?"

"Oh, you know – easily satisfied."

"What the…"

"Kaname-sama! Kaname-sama!"

Zero turns his head to the opposite end of the arena, where he sees two dazzling, beautiful women – or, thanks to their scent, _vampires_ – standing up on their toes to wave excitedly over at Kaname.

The pureblood's eyes widen a fraction as he sees the two raven-haired beauties start towards him, their excitement clearly evident the closer they get. He chances a glance at Zero and finds himself disappointed by the same, stoic expression he's so used to seeing. _Was it too selfish of me to hope for some sort of jealousy?_

He turns to face Yuuki, who's still fully engrossed in a conversation with the boy beside her. Kaname's senses tell him what he already needs to know – that the boy is too gentle to ever hurt his dear girl, and that he has absolutely nothing to worry about. He taps her shoulder. "Yuuki, would you please excuse me? Some old friends have arrived, and I would hate to burden you with their…excitement."

She nods happily – if not just a bit disappointed. "Have fun, Kaname!"

He's sure that's the last thing he'll have.

Standing up, he nods politely to Zero before stepping over him. When he trips over what can only be described as _air, _he's all too happy to "accidentally" land in the hunter's lap, his bottom resting on the tight, strong muscles of the hunter's legs. It's a convincing "accident", which is why Yuuki jumps from her seat to help him up, and why the two vampires speeding towards him pick up their pace.

"Kiryu, how nice of you to catch me," he says, nodding his thanks before very, _very _slowly standing up.

His only reaction is a wide, shaken gaze.

He finds himself sighing dejectedly as he begins to walk away, waving Yuuki away with a casual wave of his hand. "I'm fine, Yuuki. Thank you."

"O-of course, Kaname…" she stammers, blushing furiously at her stupidity. _A pureblood vampire doesn't need help standing up, you idiot!_

She plops down in her seat while Zero continues staring at the floor with wide eyes and an open mouth. He feels his cheeks warm, but doesn't seem to have the strength to stop it. He really doesn't even know what just happened. One moment, Kaname was leaving – much to his delight – and, the next, the pureblood was in his lap, rubbing against him in a way that made him twitch uncomfortably in his seat. Of course, it was only an accident but…still…

He slid down in his seat, hoping to hide from the world. Besides, the way he's positioned in the chair, he has perfect access to the bowing twin vampires as they stumble over themselves to please their pureblood leader. He doesn't need to see that. Not when it twists his stomach into one, giant, tangled _knot_.

* * *

When the lights dim even more and bright lights start flashing, Zero grabs Yuuki's hand and pulls her over a seat to fill the emptiness left by the pureblood. "I hear these things get pretty crazy," he shrugs as he pulls her to stand beside him. "I don't want you so far away from me."

She doesn't know the truth – that he's only doing his best to fill a void left by someone he didn't know could even leave one behind. But, then again, he doesn't, either. He's still confused out of his mind, evident by the distant look in his eyes. Clearly, he's been thinking about this for quite some time. He doesn't like the things Kaname does to him – even if it's all vampire magic and the trick of his own mind. To make things even worse, he doesn't like when the pureblood's gone, either. "When do you think Kaname's coming back?" Yuuki asks, standing on her tip-toes in a failed attempt to see over the screaming fans to get a good luck at her friend. "He must be scared…I'm sure he has no idea how these things work. He's…"

"He'll be fine," Zero snaps. "I'm sure he can take care of himself. Besides, those other vampires looked like they knew what they were doing. He'll be fine if he's with them."

"Oh, okay…"

Right then, an electric squeal from the guitar player suddenly on stage rips through the air, and everything becomes chaos.

Yuuki jumps and clings to Zero's arms as people begin to press closer to her in their excitement. Music begins to blast from the speakers on stage, and the people not in seats begin to part to form a clear path down the middle. Zero watches in amazement as fans from both sides ran at each other, some with fists flying and others with timid expressions painting their frightened features.

"ZERO!" Yuuki screams. "Do you _see_ what they're doing? Is that even allowed?" He looks down at the terror in her eyes before giving her a reassuring smile. "Just ignore them, Yuuki. Listen to the music. They'll stop soon enough. Some people just have more…_creative_ ways of dealing with their excitement." He knows there really isn't much use in watching a bunch of idiots take part in a ridiculous, rock concert tradition ( known as the Wall of Death, if he remembers correctly ) when the music really begins to start, so he returns his attention to the stage and finds himself loosening up.

Before he knows it, he'ss urging Yuuki to jump alongside him. He lets out real, genuine laughter as they begin to jump along with the beat, their feet pounding against the floor at the same time as their fists flew high in the air. Yuuki is surprised to find herself actually_ enjoying_ such angry music, but she likes the lyrics. They're a lot more relatable than regular pop music – which is more sex than emotion.

This…well, this she can actually _listen_ to.

She watches Zero smile and wishes she had a camera. She hears his laugh and wishes she had a tape-recorder. He's actually a rather handsome sight when he isn't moping around and snapping at anything with a pulse.

Much to her surprise, she finds her throat go dry when he jumps so high that his shirt rides up, giving her a perfect view of the smooth, muscled expanse of skin beneath. She stops jumping long enough to realize that she isn't the only one.

"What the…" She stares in confusion at all of the predatory glances multiple women seem to be giving her – as wrong as it feels to say after having such a strong reaction to the sight of his _stomach_, for god's sake – adoptive brother. They smile at each other and nod their approval when they catch her protective glances. One goes as far as to mouth, "Wanna share?" in her direction.

She pouts angrily and turns her head to face the jumping backs of the people in front of her, pumping her fist in a weak attempt to cover her embarrassment.

But women aren't the only ones watching.

A few rows behind, Kaname watches the silver-haired hunter as he jumps up and down, the crowd behind him parting for reasons they really didn't understand. He so desperately wants to go join him, especially when he looks so happy, but he doesn't want to spoil the moment. If he were the reason for Zero's disappointment…

Well, he can't stand the idea.

He needs to be the reason the boy _smiles_.

* * *

Eventually, Zero feels himself slip. He falls backwards into his chair, joining Yuuki. She hands him a water-bottle from a pack she has her feet, shrugging at his confused expression. "Kaname," she mouths, and he nods in understanding.

Speaking of...

While taking a sip from the bottle, he turns his head to look for the pureblood. Most of the people have migrated to the stage-front, so it's a lot easier to see, but he still can't seem to detect that familiar patch of brown hair anywhere. He narrows his eyes and turns to give the arena a full check-up, but the pureblood seems to have disappeared.

"Yuuki, have you seen…"

"AH!" Yuuki jumps up from her seat when a pair of hands encircles her waist from behind. Before she can get too upset, she finds herself laughing at Kaname's advance in fear installment. "Kaname! You scared me!"

He smiles and leaps over their seats to land proudly beside Yuuki. "Quite a concert, huh?" he yells over the music. When Yuuki giggles her response, the pureblood's eyes land on Zero. "Did you have fun, Kiryu?"

While he wants to keep up his "I don't care" attitude, something inside of him just won't let it happen. In fact, he's actually happy to have the pureblood back again. Screw pureblood magic and the fear of being found out. He was dead soon anyways. "It was amazing!" he says, smiling in a dangerous manner. Clearly, the youth is ignorant of his looks. He doesn't even notice when some of the remaining women around him giggle and blush in a flirtatious manner, hoping to attract his attention the louder they laugh.

But Kaname does.

He glares at many of them before reverting his attention back to the smile on the young hunter's face as he stands back up for one last song.

"Hey, Kaname…" Yuuki whispers, knowing very well that he can hear her due to his advanced hearing. "Why don't you go dance with Zero?" Even though it isn't really _dancing_…

"Uhm…I…" For the first time in a _very_ long time, he finds himself at a loss for words. To even be beside Zero is a very tempting offer, but he doesn't want to push things too far. Already, falling on top of him was a little too much.

But he needs to do something if he doesn't want to lose his mind.

Besides, the women are getting closer.

So, in a state of absolute madness, the pureblood leaps over Yuuki's legs and stands beside Zero, asking with his eyes for a proper lesson on fist-pumping.

* * *

While their plan was to leave early in order to avoid large crowds of people, it seems they aren't the only ones with the same idea. People are running past them, not afraid to push and shove for the sake of being the first to leave. They scream profanity and spit alcohol all over Yuuki's new shoes.

Kaname places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Would you like me to help?" he asks, glancing at the hunter standing beside him. "I can have us out of here in no time."

Zero rolls his eyes, but in a playful manner rather than an angry one. "Sometime soon, Kaname, you should try acting a bit more _human_." The pureblood gags in mock disgust, glad when Zero smiles at the action.

Before anything else can be said, Zero grabs Kaname's hand and urges him to grab Yuuki's. "Now, whatever happens, do _not_ let go of each other. Scream bloody murder if you do." He begins to pull Kaname through the crowd, pushing and shoving harder than any of the humans surrounding him. They stumble backwards and fall on top of each other, staring in bewilderment at the retreating chain of supposed-to-be humans as the hunter continued to shove people over.

Kaname couldn't help his eyes as they began to trace down the hunter's back, eagerly taking in the strong muscles that lingered there. He didn't need his eyes to see where he was going – his senses made it possible to avoid any obstacle, and he knew Zero wouldn't lead them anywhere unsafe. He might as well enjoy the view.

* * *

While it was hell to get there, they eventually made it to the limo.

Kaname asks his driver to start towards the Academy while he opens a compartment and pulls out bags of some sort of restaurant quality food. He hands a bag to Zero and Yuuki, nodding his encouragement, before opening his own to reveal a fresh serving of salad, enough to quench his hunger.

Yuuki began to eagerly scarf down her own salad, which was much larger than Kaname's and better suited to her human needs. Zero picks hungrily at his, but doesn't eat it all. He almost feels bad for using up so much of Kaname's kindness when he had provided nothing but paid-for tickets the whole night/morning.

The ride is slow and silent, and Yuuki eventually settles for passing out on Kaname's shoulder while Zero stares out the windows, watching the landscape slide pass.

He feels incredibly grateful to have been alive to live such a night, but his happiness doesn't suppress the pain inside. This night is only another excuse to run from the inevitable. Because of Yuuki.

Because of Kaname.

As much as he doesn't want to admit it, he figures no harm will come from doing just that. Five days. He has _five days_ left. He doesn't want to waste them. He really, _truly_ wants to fix things with the pureblood. Fuck his hunter background. It's doing nothing but killing him, so why should he even bother? Now is no time to push friends away.

Especially not ones so valuable.

* * *

The Headmaster comes to grab Yuuki from Kaname, her sleeping form fitting comfortably in her father's embrace. "You'll tell me about your night tomorrow morning at breakfast, Zero?" he asks in a whisper, raising his eyebrows eagerly. "I want to hear all about it."

Zero nods, smiling through the fog of exhaustion. "I'll tell you all about it."

Cross smiles before turning around to bring Yuuki to his office, simply because he doesn't think he can carry her successfully to her room. "Good-night Zero, Kaname!"

"Goodnight, Cross," Kaname says with a polite nod in the man's direction.

He turns to face Zero and dares a smile, still not really knowing where they stand. "Kiryu…"

"We're friends, right?" he interjects, looking up at the pureblood with hope lingering in his lilac gaze. "I mean…I…" He looks down and frowns at the pavement, wishing he hadn't gone and been so dumb.

Before Kaname can stop himself, he places his hand under the hunter's chin and smiles. "Of course, Kiryu. How could we be anything but?"

Relief floods Zero's system. But, of course, his stupidity doesn't stop there.

He goes and does something absolutely ridiculous.

Completely unacceptable.

"I'm dying."

* * *

**AN: -**_wipes sweat- _Ohhh boy. This one took a LOT out of me:P  
I hope I didn't dissapoint? I don't really know anything about rock concerts (much to my dissapointment). I looked up The Wall of Death (or whatever you call it) on youtube and...ohmygod. If any of you have done that, then you NEED to tell me all about it. SCARY. Plus, I think I may have rushed it JUUUUST a bit.  
As for the random twin vampires in this chapter, I think I'll bring them back in a later chapter. They're my special guests;)

OH! ALSO! For anyone who sent a review about me and my SERIOUS lack of honorifics, I sortofkindof just threw 'em out because they scare me, and I don't like getting yelled at by authors when I mess them up. WHICH I USED TO DO A LOT.

And, again, thank you SOOOOOSOOSOSOSOSO much for the reviews:)

All mistakes were my fault:P I do apologize.

'Till next time!:D


	4. Skinny Dipping A

Yah, so, IM BACK!

Disclaimer: Me no owns VK. Rights to the wonderful Matsuri Hino:D

* * *

**Chapter Three: **Skinny Dipping(A)

_But I swear that there's someone who cares here enough to set us free. -_House of Hallways (Go Radio)

The world is silent.

_Awkwardly_ so. _Painfully_ so.

The hunter fidgets beneath the silence, reading it as disbelief and mockery. He winces at the breeze and tries to shake the stupid sense of dread crawling up his spine. The air seems ten times as heavy with humidity; everything seems a bit too still; he starts to sweat.

He doesn't need to look at Kaname to know what the pureblood thinks_. He's lying. He's stupid. He's planning on killing himself, isn't he? Please, like we haven't heard that one before…_

His stomach sours at such thoughts. Right when he was about to fix things with Kaname, he had to go and screw things up again. Now, he's nothing more than a baby craving attention. Nothing more than a weak, spineless, ex-human…

Kaname stands, absolutely still, as he watches the emotions flicker past the hunter's suddenly very open eyes. They seem to tell a million different stories, all of them ending with a silent plea for him to realize that it _really is the truth. _The hunter really is…

_No_.

This is just another silly suicide mission.

He's not sick; Kaname can tell. Physically, the hunter is beyond healthy.

He isn't Falling. Or, at least, _not yet_.

But he _has_ that god damned _gun_.

The pureblood wants to vomit. No way in _hell _is Zero killing himself.

Not when they've made it this far.

Acting on impulse, he reaches forward and clamps his hands tight around the hunter's strong shoulders. He ignores the fright in the boy's eyes and uses his power to bring those lilac orbs to lock with his own, burgundy ones. For a split second, he wants to do something other than_ speak_, but he knows now isn't the time.

_Just a bit longer, Kuran. You'll have him soon. Just pull him from this mess before he does something stupid._

"Kiryu, if you're planning on killing yourself…"

"Kuran…"

"_Don't_ interrupt, Kiryu! What I have to say is vital to your life!" He waits a moment longer and lets out a mental sigh of relief when Zero's body goes slack with comfort. He loosens his grip on the boy's shoulders, but doesn't pull away completely. Not yet.

"While I do not wish to over-step the boundaries of our newly-formed friendship, I cannot seem to help myself. Excuse me for caring, Kiryu, but I _really_ cannot let you do this." His breath catches at the sudden _understanding _he feels radiating from the hunter's warm body. It's like he knows how it feels to love someone so much…

Swallowing down the large, suffocating knot he feels wind around his throat, he continues. After all, it was a right to love whomever one pleased. Just because Kaname loved him didn't mean…

"Believe what you may, but I _care_ about you. A life without your sarcasm will end up being no life at all. As hard as it may be to comprehend, every living creature – human or vampire – needs someone like you in their lives. Terribly cynical, and yet so true. You tell the truth like no other person can, Kiryu, and that's a rather remarkable trait.

"To kill yourself…will be to end a lifetime of someone's happiness. Of _Yuuki's_ happiness."

Zero stares helplessly into Kaname's eyes, silently begging him to continue without really realizing that he's doing so. Yuuki's happiness? What about _yours_? Do you not care enough to live happily beside me as a…_friend_? Am I nothing more than a terrible truth to you?

His body begins to shake.

Sure, he thinks. Let him think it's a wannabe suicide. He doesn't need to know the truth. The truth I may be, but now is no time to exercise my talent.

With some effort, he rips away from Kaname's gaze and pulls away from the hands on his shoulders. Keeping his eyes glued to the pavement, he forces a smile. "Whatever you say, Kuran. The truth…ha…"

He wants to stay. Oh, God, he wants to _stay_! He doesn't know why, but there's something absolutely magnetic about the pureblood. It draws him in, seducing his senses and luring him with the promise of a safety he knows isn't his right to take. And then, of course, there's that _gorgeous_ pulse…

He tosses a wave over his shoulder before stuffing his hands in his pockets, trying his best not to turn around to get just one last look at what he shouldn't even be allowed to see.

"Night, Kuran."

"Goodnight, Kiryu. Sweet dreams." He sounds kind for the sake of being polite, but he truly means what he says. He knows what nightmares can do to the mind, and he doesn't want that for Zero.

Angling his head towards the stars, he sends a silent prayer to the gods he doesn't even know if he believes in.

_Keep him safe. Please._

* * *

Zero, suddenly wide awake, leans the entirety of his weight against his door. He lets out a loud, obnoxious sigh of relief as his body goes slack against the polished wood. Allowing his bottom to rest upon the cool floor, he runs anxious fingers through his silver tresses. His heart rate is a tad bit too high, and his forehead is still damp with new sweat.

Something he can't describe is pulling him away from this room – away from this life. It's annoyingly persistent, practically tearing him to bits in his attempt to ignore it.

_He wants to run so fucking bad_.

Get away from all of this. Ignore the punishment he can't find a reason to deserve, let Yuuki live a life that doesn't revolve around babying him, give Kaname a fair chance at getting the girl of his dreams…

He lets out a low groan as something pulls tight in his chest, squeezing the breath from his lungs and leaving behind a torturous ache. He digs his fingers hard into his palms and lets out a hiss of pain as he feels the tear of flesh and drowns in the scent of his own blood. His head falls back against the door, and he closes his eyes tight.

As he brings the torn palm of his hand to brush past his lips, he contemplates the pain receding deep within the very essence of his soul.

Was it Yuuki that did this to him? Was the thought of Kaname finally getting Yuuki truly so terrible? Or was it something different? Something beyond anything he had ever before experienced…

He licks eagerly at the wounds spreading past his palms, watching in near amazement as the mix of pure vampire and human blood work their magic. His own saliva is a miracle-worker, making quick work of the bloody rips. It's almost a crime to have such magic coursing through his veins.

To think he went and stole it from Kaname…

He wants to die.

He wants the President to rip the heart straight from his chest.

He wants it to _hurt_.

Kaname is nothing but a _vampire_, he thinks. You should feel no remorse for taking his power! It's done nothing but make you stronger! He doesn't deserve it! _You_ do!

He smiles because he wants to believe it.

His heart breaks to pieces because he really doesn't.

What he took that day should have never been his. He should have fought his own hunger; should have destroyed it completely in order to avoid the pestering need to make it up to the pureblood. What could he, a Level D vampire, give to the perfect Kaname Kuran?

Blood?

No. Kaname's a pureblood; he's a Level D.

Money?

Well, he has none anyway…

His body?

Stupid thought. _Stupid_ thought.

His friendship?

He already has it, and it's not enough.

His…life?

Zero nearly jumps up from his perch on the floor.

Five days. He has five days left to live. He's never done a nice thing for the pureblood a day in his life. He can make up for it! He can pay back the pureblood for letting him have his life sucked selfishly from the ex-human he is. By giving Kaname whatever he needs, Zero can repay the pureblood for his overwhelming kindness.

While he can never give back the blood he took, he can do his best to make up for it.

Sure, it goes against every rule he's grown up living under, but his hunter roots were currently doing very little to keep him grounded on the same side. Now is as good a time as any to realize that drinking blood is a perfectly normal and acceptable vampire thing to do.

_The only thing that doesn't settle so good in his stomach…_

_The only thing that lets him hate himself…_

_The only thing that keeps pulling him back…_

_The only thing that has his feet ready to run…_

Isn't a _thing_ at all.

* * *

As much as Kaname doesn't want to wake-up, her presence is a very…_disturbing_ one.

No, disturbing may not be the best word…

She is Yuuki after all. Nothing about her is _disturbing_, but…

Her human aura, as weak as it is, is rather annoying. It practically drags him from his bed, tearing him from the sweet dreams he nearly flushes at having had. Vampire he may be, but it doesn't stop his hormones.

He finds himself smiling beneath the sheets.

Until, of course, a sharp series of knocks against his bedroom door rips the happiness right out of life.

"Come in, Yuuki!" he calls. He makes a point to cover his nudity with blankets, but he has no intentions of leaving his bed. Not only is the summer heat stifling, but the curtains shielding his windows aren't doing a very good job of hiding the sun. He'll have to speak with the maid about that later…

When Yuuki stumbles in, all flushed cheeks and awkward bowing, he finds himself questioning his sanity. When was the last time he dreamt of _her_? Desired _her_? Loved _her_? After all, they _were_ destined for one another. Centuries ago, in a building carved from mountains and buried by snow, he had promised himself to her.

"_Kaname, promise me something?" she asked. She placed her hands on his chest and nuzzled his neck affectionately, succeeding fully in accelerating his heartbeat._

"_Anything for you, Yuuki," he whispered. He wrapped his arms around her tiny frame and inhaled the sweet scent that was their mother's shampoo._

"_Promise me we'll be like mommy and daddy one day, okay? They're so happy together…I want to be like them when we're old."_

_He nearly broke to pieces he was so happy. "Of course, Yuuki. I_ know_ we'll be like them."_

And, of course, they _would_ be. It was close to inevitable. Already, Kaname had detected the traces of memory dulling the features of his dear girl. She's scared, of course, but he knows better than to think she'll come right out and say it.

After a second too long spent with a bent back, the pureblood decides to let Yuuki up. "You don't need to bow for _me_, Yuuki. We are friends, after all."

Her face flushes harder. "O-of course, Kaname…It…it's just…" She smiles weakly in his direction before standing up on her toes and scratching insistently at the back of her head – an action she did when she wanted something she was too afraid to ask for. "I-I have a question, you see, and…well…it's kind of a lot to ask for…I j-just…"

Kaname can feel her frustration. It's hitting him in waves and giving him a massive headache. "Yes, Yuuki? Do not be afraid to ask me. I will do whatever you wish to the best of my ability."

"I know but…this isn't…_normal_."

Well, at least she manages to form a coherent thought. "Like I said, Yuuki. _To the best of my ability_." He smiles sweetly, hoping that his aggressive manner isn't getting to her. He's only tired – having just woken from a delicious sort of slumber. In the end, he really does love her. How much, he really doesn't know anymore…

Aware of his condition beneath the sheets, he fights the urge to pull her in for a hug. "Whatever it is, Yuuki, I _will _do." He hopes it isn't something outrageous like, _Kiss Me_, or _Make Love to Me Right This Very Moment_. His mood isn't ready to form tolerance for either. "Please, ask me."

She gives him a weary glance before fixing her eyes on the floor, as if carefully observing the expensive carpet. Her eyes trail loop-de-loops and corkscrews all over the crimson plush, clearly symbolizing her own confusion.

She doesn't know why she's doing this. Even if Kaname does agree to it, there's no way in heck Zero ever would…

"Will you spend some time, alone, with Zero? He really needs a male friend who isn't the Headmaster, and I really don't know who else to turn to. I mean, I know he acts like he hates you, but I think he's just jealous. You know, because he's had a terrible life and yours has been so perfect and all. I think…"

Raising his hand to silence the rambling mess before him, he nods his head in silent understanding. Sure, his life has been far from perfect, but there's no use in deterring the confidence she has in herself. She seems absolutely sure that there's no other option…

"Kiryu will…" He trails off and looks back on their encounter only a few hours before.

_"We're friends, right?" he interjects, looking up at the pureblood with hope lingering in his lilac gaze. "I mean…I…" He looks down and frowns at the pavement, wishing he hadn't gone and been so dumb._

_Before Kaname can stop himself, he places his hand under the hunter's chin and smiles. "Of course, Kiryu. How could we be anything but?"_

"Kiryu will fight the idea, I'm sure."

"Oh, yes! I know, I know. Which was why I was hoping you could somehow convince him? If you offer him something worth-while, he might just go along with it anyway! No matter _how_ he feels about you!"

Something worth-while?

_Like what?_

If anyone is hard to please, it's that stubborn ex-human. Besides, he keeps his interests hidden under lock-and-key. Kaname knows of nothing the hunter likes enough to let it sway him into…

_Unless…_

"May I persuade him with a gift?"

Yuuki smiles and nods excitedly. "I think that's a wonderful idea!"

He smiles at her brilliance and waits for the usual quickened pulse.

Why does he want to sigh with relief when it never comes?

* * *

Walking down the path with his hands stuffed in his pockets, the young hunter keeps his head low and allows his eyes to do nothing but trace the way his feet take him. His heart feels too heavy; his eyes feel too wet; his body feels too _tired_. Just a few more days left…

He sighs and runs an angry hand through his silver tresses. When was the last time he actually _cared_ about his own death? Seven years ago, maybe? Before he knew of Ichiru's weakened condition, before he had to bear witness to just what a vampire could turn to doing.

And now…

Now he wants nothing more than to live.

Because he was stupid enough to let people in.

Even that bastard pureblood.

And as hard as it is to admit, he now knows that a part of what he's saved for Yuuki is now partly Kaname's. The hope, the happiness, the smiles, the laughter…all of things that he's only ever let her see…are _his_.

And while it should be a wonderful, _glorious_ realization…

All it does is rip his heart to pieces.

It hurts so bad he can't even breathe. Like his lungs have been torn from his chest and were stomped all over until they're nothing more than useless shreds of tissue.

He freezes in his path and clenches his hands into tight and angry fists. Hatred courses heatedly through his veins, but not for Kaname. Not for anyone but himself. _How_ many times had he promised himself not to care? Looking back, he can't even count the excuses he's used to keep himself away from growing too close to anything so perfect. Relationships are too good for him; he doesn't deserve them.

Which is why…

"Kiryuu?"

Spinning around and pulling the _Bloody Rose_ from the chain attached to his belt, Zero finds himself staring straight into the burgundy orbs that are Kaname's eyes.

His body goes slack with relief. _I really need to start paying attention…_

"Kuran," he sighs with a nod.

The pureblood can't hide a smile. _Does he even _know_ how adorable he is? _"I hope I didn't interrupt anything. You seemed preoccupied." He narrows his eyes in a curious fashion when the hunter blushes and angles his head to look at the pavement beneath him.

"Just lost in a day-dream – that's all."

Kaname finds himself blinking back surprise when the hunter doesn't snap back with some witty remark or with a threat aimed at his life. He very quickly regains his calm manner and nods in what he hopes looks like understanding. "Ah. Well, in that case, maybe I should visit you at a later time?"

Zero smiles but shakes his head. "Screw it, Kuran. What's on your mind?"

The pureblood motions with his hand to the forest beside them, suggesting shade and privacy. While the matters on his mind aren't ones that others can't over-hear, he's too caught up in the idea of being alone with the hunter. Besides, the sun is rather strong today…He could use some shade.

Zero takes a few steps in before resting his tired body against a tree. Lost in his own thoughts, he got no sleep last night. He would have been fine had he not spent the previous hours acting like a music-crazed lunatic at some rock concert.

Kaname stands before him and smiles in such a casual manner that he's sure the silver-haired youth has no idea as to how he's actually feeling inside. His mind is a jumbled mess of questions, and his heart is a rocket with too much fuel. Everything about the hunter is just too tempting. The way he stands, the way his hair covers his eyes, the way his muscles flex when he crosses his arms over his chest, the way his stomach clings to his shirt, the way his scent catches so easily in the wind, the way he…

"Kuran?"

He wants to die.

"Oh…um…yes…" His eyes pinch in self-loathing. He's _Kaname Kuran_ for god's sake! Words like "oh" and "um" weren't even a part of his vocabulary as a _toddler_! He's knowledgeable in over sixteen languages and has read the dictionary _at least_ a thousand times. His grammar school teachers were the best in the world_. He did not stutter around Level D vampires!_

He runs his fingers through his hair before smiling as convincingly as possible at Zero. For a moment, he can't help but to get all caught up in the lilac of the hunter's eyes. _Well, he's more than just a Level D vampire, isn't he, Kaname?_

Clearing his throat, he finally gets to the point at hand. "Do you have any plans today, Kiryuu?"

The hunter's eyes widen in disbelief. Just what was the pureblood getting at? "…no…" Although he would have liked to have yet another adventurous activity in the works, he was unable to have anything ready until tomorrow. He was planning on using today as a reflection of sorts. A day dedicated completely to allowing his jumbled thoughts to sort themselves out.

Kaname's eyes light up in satisfaction. Well, at least he's one step closer…

"How about we go for a swim?"

Zero can't help himself. "_A swim_? What the hell…"

"I know it sounds so silly, but it's in more than just a pool, I assure you. There's this great Hot Spring not too far from here. It's most known for lifting somber moods."

"You think I'm _somber_?" He smiles at the use of such a…silly word. A low chuckle lets loose from his lips, and, in a matter of seconds, it's a full on roar of outrageous laughter.

He's bent over at the waist, clutching his stomach in pain as the sounds are ripped from his mouth. Through his tears, he tries to look at Kaname, but the pureblood is masked very well by tears of mirth. He knows the pureblood must be too shocked to speak, so he tries his best to get the vampire to _join him_. "K…Kur…_Kuran_!"

Hearing his name, Kaname can't help but to find the situation ten thousand times more interesting. Kiryuu's laugh…is…_magic_. It nearly burns him it's so mockingly sweet. Still, he can't quench his concern. _No sane person should be laughing like this… _"Kiryu, I…"

Before anything else can be said on the pureblood's part, the silver-haired youth slaps Kaname hard on the back, still choking on laughter as he urges the older vampire in his own ways. "L…_laugh with me_!"

At first, the idea repulses the vampire. _Laughter_? To such a serious extent, it was hardly anything Kaname wanted to be caught doing. It was disgusting.

But if Zero can do it…

_Then maybe I can._

It starts off as forced chuckle, weak in every aspect and so similar to how he often handles humor. It doesn't even make sense. _Since when was 'somber' a word synonymous with hilarity?_

Still, if it's good enough for Zero…

And then the chuckle turns into something else entirely. It squeezes his stomach in an almost painful way, pushing him to clutch it as his free hand flies up to cover the sounds falling so freely from his lips. Out of instinct, he doesn't want anyone else to hear. The look on Zero's face is the only thing that gets him to pull away.

There's so much pain in those lilac eyes, even as he laughs, that Kaname can't help but to want to do whatever he possibly can to wipe it all away. He wants Zero to forget his past and to think of his future - the one he is very well allowed to have. Kaname will feed him for all of eternity if it assures the hunter's survival. Even if the pureblood marries Yuuki and raises their children, he knows he'll keep coming back for Zero just to feel the sensation of having his blood drawn from such young fangs. He can see no other future. Zero will always be a part of him.

And as he bends over in an almost embarrassing show of laughter, he can't help but nurse the hope that sends his heart into a frenzy.

Maybe, one day, he and Zero Kiryuu can have a future together. Maybe, _just maybe_, his life doesn't have to end in Yuuki's arms...

* * *

**AN: **Ugh. I'm not feeling to good about this one, guys. It's short and boring and pointless and BLAH.  
I just HATE fillers. I hate reading them, and I hate writing them. I am SO SO SO sorry. It was boring, I know.  
BUT THE NEXT ONE WON'T BE!;)

Again, thanks for all the reviews:D They were absolutey wonderful! AND THERE ARE SO MANY!  
I hope you're all willing to stay with me 'till the end, although I'll understand if you're unwilling:P My updates are so sporadic it's disgusting:(

Plus, sometimes I can actually _write_, and sometimes I'm just so lazy and so tired that I don't realize what I'm writing and find myself forgetting to fix it. Ew.

Anyways, I have this HUGE english project due soon, and it's kind of taking up my ENTIRE life. Plus, I'm leaving for vacation in two weeks, and I know for sure that I won't have time to update anything. I'll try to get a good (LONG) chapter up before then, though. SOSORRY.

Til' next time, folks;)


	5. Skinny Dipping B

Disclaimer: I make no money from this. To you, Matsuri Hino, for being so super-fudging-awesome:)

* * *

**Chapter Four: **Skinny Dipping (B)

_So don't fall in love, there's just too much to lose. –_Terrible Things (Mayday Parade)

(slight) WARNING: For some bits of graphic material (that, in this chapter, aren't really THAT graphic. I'm just being careful).

After their hysterical bit of laughter, the two vampires ended up sitting in the grass, picking at the smooth strands of green as they chatted comfortably about random things, often involving school or the Headmaster's silly ways. While Kaname desperately wants to take Zero to the hot springs, he can't help but to cherish what he has right this very moment. It reminds him too much of the love stories he used to read to Yuuki as a child. Of course, he's not foolish enough to believe that the hunter will allow their friendship to turn into something so romantic, but he cannot squash the hope completely. The silver-haired youth makes it too easy to forget his obligations as a pureblood.

Zero, lost in a tale about horrendous Final Exams, doesn't even notice the way Kaname keeps looking at him. He's keeping his eyes glued to the grass as he rips it from the earth in an almost violent manner. There's a tight, suffocating sort of tug in his chest, and it's _seriously_ starting to piss him off. It feels almost like his hunger for blood, but his eyes are still a pretty shade of purple and his teeth are still perfectly human. He trails off mid-story as he realizes something important enough to squeeze the ache in his chest to an almost bearable pain.

"Kuran, didn't you say you wanted to go swimming?" Masking his emotions, the pureblood has no way of telling how excited Zero truly is.

To him, the hunter could seem less interested. "If the plans do not suit your schedule, Kiryuu, then we…"

Raising his hands to silence the older vampire, Zero nods his head in assurance. "I've got nothing planned, Kuran. I'll go with you."

Not ready for such an answer, Kaname opens his mouth to apologize for pestering the ex-human with plans that only real friends would ever wish to see through. It's too late to hide his confusion by the time the hunter's words finally sink in. "Kiryuu, did you just agree to go swimming with me?"

It's almost too much to handle. The pureblood has to fight the want to smile like a lunatic trapped in some sort of drug-induced dream. He's tempted to pinch himself, for he surely must be dreaming. His heart is an erratic flutter against his chest as he stares at Zero with a calm and confident expression brushing his features. _Ah, the perks to being a pureblood…_

The hunter smiles in a weak attempt to smooth away the confusion lingering in the burgundy gaze of his newly-acquired friend. That word…_friend_…It soothes him in a way that tickles his spine and forces a real smile out into the open. Kaname's eyes widen for a split second in shock. He can't seem to remember a moment in which the hunter's real smile ever came to play. Those lilac eyes are bright and open, finally revealing the depth to the boy's soul. It's like seeing and meeting a completely different person. All he really wants to do is get to know this mysterious boy before him.

Zero nods. "Yup. Meet me in front of the school in an hour?" Already, he's standing up and brushing the creases from his jeans. His smile seems permanent, super-glued to his features. "I gotta find a bathing suit first."

Kaname can't believe what his own ears are hearing. "I can lend you a pair, if you want!" He speaks a bit too quickly and a bit too excitedly, but Zero doesn't seem to care.

Nodding, the hunter smiles. "Sounds fine. I'll meet you in…twenty minutes, then?"

The pureblood's smile is so bright it puts the sun to shame.

* * *

He tries not to seem nervous or excited or anxious or worried, but even he – Kaname Kuran, pureblood king and master of emotional disguise – cannot, for the life of him, mask his feelings. His fingers twitch a bit too much against the smooth material of the swim trunks he brought for the hunter, and his feet can't seem to stop tapping.

It's right now, in this moment, that he realizes just how much he_ likes_ Zero Kiryuu.

_This is _not_ a good idea, Kuran! Wasting your time on some Level D vampire? Remember Yuuki? Have you any recollection of the future you belong to? _

Such thoughts run on repeat through his brain.

Leaning against the side of the limousine he had recently gone to great length to acquire due to a miss-scheduled vacation, he tries his best to calm his racing heart and head. He knows that, when Zero comes out and they're safely inside the limo, he'll be fine. When they're together, the pureblood finds himself mostly unable to think too much of his inevitable future.

Even before, when the hunter was a cynical, sarcastic ex-human with too many cruel comebacks to count on all his fingers and toes, he found his mind at ease of all that he didn't want and couldn't help whenever they were close enough to call it contact.

Staring down at the grey, water-proof fabric, Kaname finds his thoughts taking a drastic turn. Rather than dreading Zero's reaction, he starts dreading _his_. Even now, when he's never before seen the hunter shirtless or covered in streams of water, his mouth starts to water. He can almost see too well the stretch of pale skin pulled over the youth's well-kept muscles, or the reaction the hunter's nipples will have against the water. Breath catching in his throat, he shifts from foot-to-foot when he starts to see wet, silver hair and plump, parted lips.

This is so unlike him it's disgusting.

He can't even find a proper, logical reason for Zero's kindness, and yet, here he is, seeing it through to an end he's sure he'll never get to see.

Shouldn't _Yuuki's _body be the one he's seeing?

Desperate, the pureblood closes his eyes and draws forth the image of his dear girl in a bikini. The contours of her body are as they were so many thousands of years ago: delicate and smooth as porcelain. Her body is thin and small, but rounded enough to still draw some attention.

And yet, all he wants to do is cringe away from it.

While he cannot deny her beauty, – and even, dare he think it, sexual appeal – the feeling of arousal is, it seems, much too far for him to reach.

Sighing disappointedly, the pureblood slumps against the limo and takes to watching the summer wind ripple through the trees, bending their delicate forms and causing for quite a pretty sight. Had he not been too caught up in waiting for Zero, he'd probably be able to enjoy it.

* * *

Slipping a pair of shorts over his boxers, Zero t one last, nervous glance at the clock. He's close to five minutes late.

Although he was about to go swimming, the hunter had wanted to take a quick shower before leaving. Just a quick rinse suitable enough to wash the grime that he was unable to wash off the night before. While he doesn't seem like the type to care a whole bunch about personal hygiene, he does. He hates feeling greasy.

Strangely enough, though, he likes being covered in blood and dirt. For some reason, dirty cuts and bruises make him feel more alive. More manly.

Which is one of his more…_embarrassing _secrets.

Shaking the thoughts away, he grabs his dorm key, slams the door shut behind him, locks it, and makes the quick walk through the hallway and down the stairs to the main exit. His advanced sight picks up Kaname's distant form as it lazes against a limousine.

For some unidentifiable, illogical reason, he freezes. Something he can't even begin to understand forces the breath he's about the breathe to stop somewhere in his throat.

His life is only so many days from ending. In a matter of only five days, the soul that was Zero Kiryuu would cease to exist. He shouldn't have been doing this. Being with Kaname, acting like the best of friends who cared so strongly for each other…it was almost too much to bear.

In so short a time he's learned to depend way too much on his old enemy. Excluding Yuuki, he's never really had a best friend of any sort. It's ridiculous to consider the pureblood something so high in status when they had only started acting friendly the night previous, but that's the only way he can see it.

Kaname means something to him.

Something that scares and excites and confuses him all at the same time.

He has five days to figure it out. Five days to peel away the layers that Kaname Kuran uses to mask whoever he is beneath that regal mask.

* * *

"Ah, Kiryu! It's nice to see you've showed!"

Bowing his head to hide his reddening cheeks, Zero smiles at Kaname through his bangs. "Sorry, Kuran. I needed a shower."

The pureblood doesn't question it. Instead, he hands to Zero a pair of gray swim trunks. "It may seem foolish of me to say, but I thought gray would match best with your hair and eye color."

Shocked, Zero has to look up in confusion. Is that…a _blush_ he sees creeping across the pureblood's cheeks?

He actually has to shake his head to make the thought go away. "Well, thanks for the…concern, I guess." He eyes the gray fabric a bit wearily, forcing his mind not to realize that, yes, gray _is_ his color. "Good point Kuran," is all he manages to choke out. Why is his heart beating at such a ridiculous rate? It's just a pair of swim shorts, for pete's sake…

_But a pair that _Kaname_ gave you._

Surprised at his own train of the thought, the hunter straightens up with a frazzled smile. "How about we get goin', huh?"

Kaname nods and smiles back, trying not to kiss the hunter where he stands. Sadly, he knows such an action will only draw an unnecessary amount of blood.

"We should get back close to midnight, if that's okay with you," he says, nodding for Zero to slide into the vehicle first.

Watching Kaname scoot in beside him, Zero nods. "Fine with me."

Nodding towards the gray-haired, long-necked man behind the wheel, Kaname gives the – as Zero can tell by the scent – other vampire the okay to drive. "HillTop Springs, please."

The vampire smiles through the rear-view mirror before nodding his own head in agreement. "Of course, Kaname."

Reaching over, Kaname presses a button somewhere over by his window. It causes a thick, black divider to slide between the driver's compartment and their own, personal sitting area. Zero decides it looks more like a waiting room than the back of a car. They don't even have to wear _seatbelts_!

"I hope you don't mind privacy," Kaname says, looking out the window rather than at Zero. "It's an hour's worth of driving, so I assumed…"

When he doesn't finish, the hunter has to cock his head to the side and stare confusedly at his newly-acquired friend. Something about that lost, delicate look causes his chest to ache. _Since when was Kaname Kuran so fucking tortured?_

"You assumed?" he prods, doing his best to push against the tide of feelings that was then threatening to suffocate him.

With a long, harsh sigh, Kaname turns to face the hunter. Suddenly, the pain and loneliness is nothing but a memory Zero can't even prove true. "I was hoping you'd tell me why you've suddenly decided to act towards me in such a congenial manner. Not to protest, Kiryu, but I'm horribly confused and curious as to why any of this is even happening. Not a few days before, and you were threatening my life with that cursed _Bloody Rose_." _Just tell me this isn't some sort of sick game. I'm afraid my heart may be unable to take it._

Zero ducks his head, wondering how to handle such a damned delicate situation. Of course, he could try the truth, but that didn't work so well the first time. Besides, when he's with Kaname, he almost doesn't have to think about his impending doom. It's almost like it's not even happening. The rest of the world is nothing compared to Kaname Kuran. The hunter could be burning in hell right now and he wouldn't even know it.

"This is gonna sound like a load of crap coming from me of all people," he starts, looking out the window so that he doesn't have to see the pureblood's reaction. "But I've decided to change my ways." He shrugs his shoulders and purses his lips like it's no big deal, even though it really,_ really_ is. "I can't blame you for what's happened to me just because you're the same thing as the monster that did this to me. And, I mean, you're not even the _same_, actually. You're…nice and polite, and not beautiful in a creepy way like Shizuka, but in a bona fide kind of way. It's like…" He freezes when he realizes what he's said.

_OhgodohgodNO! I didn't just say that! I didn't!_

No matter how hard he tries, Kaname can't cease the huge, gleeful smile that curls its way across his face. "Kiryuu, did you just…"

Kaname's heart soars when he sees that tell-tale blush decorating the hunter's pale features. "Maybe, but…don't get all weird about it. I'm a man, you know. I don't, like…like men or anything. Just cuz' I think you're beautiful doesn't mean…" _Oh, damnit! Just. Shut. UP! _

Zero gets so frustrated that he ends up digging his nails through the probably-super-expensive leather of the seat beneath him. He jumps up when what he's done really hits him.

"Oh, shit! I'm sorry Kuran! I'll pay for it, I swear…"

_Ah, what a pleasant distraction. I hate to see him so nervous, no matter how adorable he looks. _He chuckles in that light, airy way of his before flipping his wrist and flicking his fingers as if to dismiss the idea entirely. "Relax, Kiryuu. It's nothing to worry about."

The hunter realizes pretty soon that the pureblood's probably talking about more than just the seat. He swallows hard before going back to ducking his head. "This must be expensive, though…"

"Money is of no matter to me, I assure you. Besides, a whole limousine is worth less that the cost of having that fixed."

Zero's head shoots up in disbelief. "Seriously?" Slowly, he reaches his hand down to rub at the small tears. "Well, then, I can honestly say that I _won't_ be paying for this." He smiles at his own weak attempt at humor, only to hear Kaname's musical little chuckle again.

Seriously, what is death when Kaname is concerned? Zero doesn't even care anymore. Just as long as he's here, stumbling over his words and constantly saying the wrong thing.

It feels like he'll live forever.

* * *

The place is small, but pleasant – clearly meant as an escape for the rich-and-famous. The workers all smile and wave at Kaname – or, at least, the vampire ones. All of the humans have their noses stuck in the air, like _they're_ the ones with enough money to afford such a place. Yah, right.

Everything is white and spotless, broken only by small, green plants and a whole rainbow's worth of flowers. All over, the walls are decorated with quotes about peace and tranquility and hope and blah, blah, blah. Zero kind of hates the place, but he knows not to voice it for Kaname's sake. The pureblood seems on top of the world, greeting the ones he seems to know with cheery waves and jovial hellos. Still, he isn't dropping that regal, call-me-king manner.

When they make it to the front desk, where a tiny, perfect-looking blonde girl is talking into a headset, she smiles up adoringly at the pureblood. "Kaname!" she squeals, ripping the device from around her ear even as someone continues to call into it from the other end. "How lovely it is to see you! It's been so long; I almost thought you weren't ever going to come back!"

Kaname chuckles and it sickens Zero how close the two vampires seem to be. She's clearly a very beautiful specimen, and she _clearly_ wants to get into Kaname's pants. He hates himself for thinking that, maybe, she already has, and he hates himself more when it hurts to think about it.

"Well, staying so long a time away from you has brought me back, Cara. As I'm sure you can imagine, I've come to miss you."

Oh. Okay then.

Apparently, Kaname knows how to flirt, and he's really working it, too.

He bows his head and blocks the rest of their sickening conversation from his head. He doesn't need to think about this, but he does, anyway. Obviously, someone as good-looking and as old as Kaname must have some sort of experience. Zero had just gone and assumed that he'd waited forever for Yuuki. But, in the end, it was blatantly clear that Kaname was far from a virgin even in his thoughts and words. He was practically _raping _the girl just with his _words_. And she was enjoying it, too!

Daring a look up, Zero catches the longing evident in both their gazes. It's something so ridiculously perfect and predatory and he _wants_ it. He's never had any reason to long for anyone before. He's close to eighteen years of age, and he hasn't even touched himself…down _there_. At least, not in the sexual sense. Any longing he's ever had has been washed away by the rush of cold water and put to rest by the time he fell to bed.

But, Kaname…well…

He seems to have seen things differently.

When Zero catches the pureblood reaching forward to brush away a loose strand of the other vampire's silky hair, the hunter makes a point to cough obnoxiously into his hand. He doesn't know why he does it, and he ends up blushing and looking away when Kaname finally notices his presence.

"Ah, well, Cara, we must be off. Thanks for all the help, though. I'll have to pay you back someday."

Zero wants to die, right there and then. He wants to turn back around, storm out the door, and demand that the President pull the trigger five days early.

Kaname turns around and smiles after something_ Cara_ said. "Shall we be off, Kiryuu? I'm sure you'll love the springs."

He snorts his disgust. "Whatever, Kuran."

He doesn't miss the repulsed way Cara looks at him, like he just stuck his finger up his nose and wiped it all over her glassy, white countertop.

"Well, right this way."

Turning to lead the way, Kaname tosses yet another, dazzling smile in Cara's direction. While the plan had originally been to flirt his way into a private area of the springs, he'd ended up a bit lost in the idea of getting Zero jealous. It was no secret that he and Cara had had a physical relationship at one point in time, and he _loved_ the idea of using it to arouse something like jealousy in Zero.

But, much to his dismay, it did nothing but sour the hunter's previously good mood.

_Damn_.

* * *

When they make it to the changing room – which is nothing but white walls, cream colored-benches, and a few rows of lockers – Zero makes sure to pick a spot all the way in the back. His body goes slack with relief when he hears Kaname open a locker a few rows ahead. Honestly, he doesn't need any locker-room talk about how hot Cara is. He doesn't want to hear about what a good lay she is, even if, deep down, he knows Kaname would probably barely venture past calling her beautiful. Still, even that would be too much.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep, long breath, he rests his head against the cool metal of the locker. _Calm yourself, Kiryuu. You need to be nice to him, remember? So what if he's fucked a few vampires here and there? Can you _blame _women for throwing themselves at him?_

No, he can't, and it's that exact thought that turns his cheeks from a vampire (ha) pale to a rosy red.

_Don't deny it, Kiryuu. You don't have time to, remember? He's fucking _sexy_…_

Rather than furthering that train of thought, he yanks his t-shirt over his head and unbuttons his pants. He shimmies out of the jeans and, turning to make sure the pureblood isn't watching, he tosses his boxers in the locker alongside his other clothes. In one swift, vampire-like motion, he slips on the shorts Kaname gave him. They're a bit loose, but it's nothing he can't live with.

He doesn't notice Kaname peeking over the lockers just to watch him and gauge his emotions. The thought of having upset the hunter…well, it _burns _him.

When the hunter starts yanking off his boxers, he turns away, walks back to his own area, and takes a deep breath. _Think of something to fix this mess. Do remember, you are a pureblood vampire. You can do whatever you please. Shock him. Do something _risky_! Dangerous…_

Suddenly, he's hit with it.

An idea so great and so frightening that he doesn't know whether to start shaking or jumping in joy.

* * *

The pool is huge, covering the amount of an Olympic sized swimming pool and more. It's surrounded by gorgeous out-door scenery, complete with rose bushes and small, flitting hummingbirds that their quick time eating. Zero has to stand and stare at it for a moment, barely even believing what he's seeing. _Well, I can at least take comfort in knowing that I came here before I died. _He has to swallow past the knot in his throat when the full impact of Clara's flirtatious features come back to hit full-force_. But that…well, I could have died without that picture burning holes through my skull._

Chancing a curious and cautious look at Kaname, the hunter has to hide his unsuspecting blush when he finds the pureblood staring intently at him, clearly looking for the boy's approval. "Is this what you were hoping for, Kiryuu?"

The boy nods, unable to speak for reasons even he can't seem to understand. Instead, he walks over, dips his toes into the hot water, and leans his head back as an innocent little sigh of satisfaction brushes passed the parted pads that are his lips. "Well, I can get used to this…"

Kaname can't help his stare. At this point, it's completely inevitable. Must _he be so delicious? Can he not even tone it down for my sake?_

He has to swallow past a lump in his throat before tossing his towel on a nearby chair. Then, without so much as a warning cast in the unsuspecting hunter's direction, he dives in headfirst.

The water is warm, but not too hot – much to his dismay. It does absolutely _nothing_ to cease his hormones. At this point, as much as he wants to stay with his beloved Zero, he has to wonder if a cold shower is the better option.

When he comes up for the air he doesn't even need, he sees Zero standing up and glaring at him. "What the fu – _hell_, Kuran? This water is hot, in case you haven't noticed! You could have scorched my skin right off!"

"Silly, Kiryuu. This is barely even bath water. Now, stop throwing a tantrum and come play with me." His smile is relaxed, against the fact that he feels as if the weight of the world is currently damaging his fine bone structure. Still, this is what he wants. Even if he can have Zero for no more than a moment, he wants this. He wants _him_.

Yuuki? Yuuki _who_?

"Kuran, you…"

And before the rational side of his brain can function, he's pulling off his swim trunks and waving them around above his head. Now, he's smiling with clear satisfaction. "Come _play_, Kiryuu! This water is _fine_!"

Zero can do nothing but stand and stare. _Is…Is…No…No…Clearly, I'm seeing things…No way in hell…Oh, God, this is really happening…_

He wants to start screaming, to punch_ something_.

Until a most interesting sort of thought crosses his path.

_Well, I _have_ never gone skinny-dipping before. I only have a few days left to kill. Why not live life to the fullest? Just take your pants off and keep your eyes off Kuran. That'll do, won't it?_

So, he, too, jumps into the water and pulls his swim trunks off with little concern for the warmth of the water. In fact, it's rather pleasant against his flesh. Like a Jacuzzi without the bubbles.

And while he's processing the feeling, Kaname's processing _him_.

The water, to his eyesight, distorts nothing.

He knew the hunter was a rather fit and beautiful boy, but this…well…this blows his mind. Well-worked muscles and long, graceful limbs. Continuous pale skin that pooled in shadows against every dip in the boy's build.

He was hoping to get a few responses from the hunter, but he now knows that's the last thing he wants. Seeing him so exposed awakens a whole new sort of desire in the pureblood, one that he put to sleep only a few hours before in regard to their respective futures.

He wants to_ love_ Zero.

He wants to kiss those lips and feel that rhythmic, erratic heartbeat as it flutters innocently against his own. He wants to wrap his arms around that tiny waist and pull that body flush against his own. He wants to absorb every scent and every feeling that comes to him when in Zero's presence. He wants to forget Yuuki and remember _him_.

And it almost forces a tear from his eye when he realizes in a cruel twist of fate that he _can't_. His path is forever intertwined with that of Yuuki's.

_Besides, it's foolish of me to think that, even if things were different, he'd ever want me. I'm not stupid enough to think that this friendship is anything more than that of Yuuki's doing. He's clearly doing this for her favor rather than his own. How childish of me to think…_

He comes to his senses when a warm wave of water hits his face with a weak show of concern on Zero's part. "Hey, Kuran, you alright? You kind of lost it on me there…"

"I'm fine, Kiryuu. Although, I do appreciate the concern. It's just nice to relax, as I'm sure you already know." He gives a regal nod of his head, barely looking the young hunter in the eye as he does so.

Something snaps in Zero's head. He doesn't know what it is, and he doesn't know why it's happening, but it's too late to stop it now, anyway.

He trudges through the water until he's facing Kaname. Then, before either of them can stop it, he grabs a hold of Kaname's fine, brunet locks, and dunks the regal pureblood beneath the surface. Right when he starts to smile, slender fingers curl around his hips and pull him under, too.

In a bit of shock, Zero barely manages to realize the way in which Kaname stares at him.

He starts thrashing beneath the water, only to be held down by the pureblood's strong grip. While he knows that he doesn't need to breathe, he still very much wishes to be as far away from Kaname as possible. Lately, the pureblood's actions have done nothing but confuse the silver-haired youth. So, rather than taking the more rational route, he starts kicking and hitting, noticing his lack of aggression beneath the water but too angered to care much about it.

And then, something happens. He doesn't know how to describe it, although he's sure it has something to do with Kaname's ridiculously ridiculous pureblood power. This strange, choking sort of calm encompasses the whole of Zero's body, and he's very quickly sucked into the feelings he's been fighting all day.

They're both frozen beneath the surface, staring at each other and thinking of nothing else.

Even if breathing under-water were a plausible feat, Kaname knows it would currently be impossible. No way in _hell _would he have been able to breathe with the way Zero was now looking at him. It's almost as if the boy is _begging_ him for something. His eyes are wide in anguish and confusion, clearly caused by some secret strong enough to dismantle a happiness that could otherwise be obnoxiously bright. Kaname knows it stretches far past Shizuka Hio and inevitable vampirism. He doesn't know what to make of it, but he never wants to see it again.

So, as every pureblood should do when their Level D friend is lost in agony, he reaches his hand forward and, with a stronger gust of power than the one previous, he touches Zero's cheek and passes all of the happiness he's seen and felt from his mind to the latter's.

This causes lilac eyes to widen in surprise.

His mind is a swirl of happiness, but for reasons that he can't seem to grasp. What he's seeing are things that he's never, himself, seen before.

And it's beautiful.

His body is warm and practically sparkling beneath the water, and he knows it's not just the workings of pureblood magic. This is something else entirely.

This is _Kaname_.

This is the only thing he wants to live for.

This is the only thing he _can't_.

* * *

When they find their way back to the surface, it's like nothing eve happened.

They swim around in lazy circles while chatting quietly about the previous school-year.

Both masters in the skill of hiding emotion, they are very easily able to mask their fear and confusion. Kaname wants very much to open the book that is Zero, but he's much too afraid of the reaction.

Zero, as always, wants to leave it be. He wants nothing more to do with these scattered emotions, as pleasant as some may be.

He knows the waters he's testing are dangerous, so he comes to one very obvious conclusion: just drop it all until the President pulls the trigger.

Eventually, Cara, wearing nothing but a practically see-through bikini, walks past, her feet practically whispering against the ground as she floats past. "Kaname," she says, smiling through her silky bangs, flashing perfect white teeth that Zero can't help but to realize he _doesn't_ have. "And friend," she adds, nodding but not smiling at Zero. "While it's been a pleasure to have you here, I'm afraid that your allotted time has long since passed. If you'd please return to the locker rooms..." She nods again, and Zero wants to tear at her pretty little neck.

Kaname, too, nods, and, because it's a day dedicated to doing stupid and foolish things, he tells Zero to go along without him. "If you don't mind, Kiryuu, I have a few things to catch up on with Cara, here. I'll meet you back in the limo."

Zero doesn't believe it. He doesn't _want_ to.

And then, when those stupid feelings threaten to come back, he grabs the trunks Kaname gave him, slips them on under the water, and leaves, not looking back long enough to notice the way Kaname kisses Cara – like his life depends on it.

* * *

Kaname isn't stupid. He knows why Cara came. He didn't need to be told when to leave; it just didn't happen. Lower-status vampires knew not to order him to go. He left when he pleased, regardless of whether or not he paid his dues. His presence was payment enough, anyway.

She was there for the sex.

There was no way around it. It had been a year now, much too long for a vampire like her to keep waiting. She wants what she wants, and she always gets it.

Kaname doesn't think about much when he starts untying her bathing-suit top. He takes a moment to examine her incredibly healthy features, but dives right in after only a few seconds of admiration. There's no need to make this slow; she's just another book on a shelf full of the ones he's already read. The only thing that manages to distract him is the grass and soil beneath them, but he pushes it aside easily enough.

He pulls one of her pebbled nipples into his mouth and sucks hard against her crazed gasp. This is what he needs. Until Yuuki realizes who she truly is, _this_ is what he _needs_.

Forget that infuriatingly stubborn ex-human and mess around with vampires behind everyone's back.

How foolish was he to think that things could change?

Even after a moment full-to-the-brim with emotion, the hunter had done nothing but return to the way things were – short, clipped, and laden with nauseating sorts of small talk.

Sinking into Cara's warmth, he bothers enough to moan her name.

Forget the fact that he's wishing Cara is _him_ and do this to her until he can do it to Yuuki.

Because it was stupid to hope anyway.

Because, while he can keep Zero happy for now, he's not naïve enough to think he can keep it going for forever.

As much as he wants to.

* * *

Zero's just sitting there.

Dressed and dripping water everywhere, he doesn't even notice the way his clothes stick to his hardly-dried body.

_I will _not_ think about him. I will not think about _them_. I will not…I will…I…will…not!_

But he does.

Kaname-stiff-as-a-board-Kuran was breaking through his shell, and not for him. No, not for Zero.

For some vampire _whore_.

Not even for Yuuki.

_Not…not for me…_

And he doesn't know why this breaks him, but it does.

He starts to sob in such a way that he chokes every moment or so, hiccupping in a matter of a minute or two. Resting his head against the cool tile of the wall beside the locker in which he'd dumped Kaname's shorts, he starts to pull at his hair so hard that he's sure he'll break skin if he pulls too much harder.

Eyes closed, his tears flow freely from their lilac depths to his cheeks and to the floor.

With the way he's crying, it's like he's never cried before.

It's as if he's making up for all the other instances in which he's held it together.

Which only pisses him off.

He punches the wall and breaks through, but is so unsatisfied that he has to do it again, and again until there are six holes lining the tile.

Still crying and shaking because of it, he stands up, curses the place to hell, ignores all the stares, and leaves. He ignores the way Kaname's driver looks at him, practically begging him to return for fear of causing a scene he looks much too old to handle, and storms away. It doesn't matter that it's sometime past midnight, and that he has no business getting lost in a place he's never before seen before Kaname.

It doesn't matter that he doesn't know where he is or where he's going. If it comes to it, he'll call the Headmaster and get a ride. He's sure there are plenty of pay-phones down the way. There always are.

It only matters that he was foolish enough to trust again.

Of course, Kaname should have been the last person to turn to, but he was stupid and caught up in his own death sentence. He had only wanted to fix things…

Now, it's clear that the damned pureblood is better off dead.

And burning in hell.

Far away from Zero.

Far away from his happiness, even if he can't deny that the pureblood was the only one who could have actually given it to him.

* * *

**AN: **Would you believe me if I said I had NO IDEA where that ending came from?:P

I mean, I don't even know where CARA came from! My original idea for this chapter was a WHOLE LOT simpler, lemme tell ya. You don't even KNOW – simply because I don't, either, but…whatever. I kind of like this little twist of sorts:) I feel all wicked and what-not. Especially since I've never really thought about Kaname's sex-life (not including with Zero/Yuuki) before…Hmm…

Also, I realize that I've been spelling Zero's name two different ways, both "Kiryu" and "Kiryuu". I'll try to fix this in the future, although I make no promises. I tend to type too fast, and then, when I proof-read, I sometimes skip over parts I THINK I've already edited enough. Mistakes on my part; please don't kill me?

What shall become of Zero now that it's "clear" that Kaname doesn't give a damn about him? How will Kaname handle Zero's leaving him? Will they EVER speak again?

I think you know the answer to at least one of those three questions;)

Please excuse any errors/rushed-ness on my part. It's been an awful long time since I've updated, and I was kind of in a rush to get this done in order to please your reading-related appetites

Until next time, lovies!

REVIEWWWW!


	6. Roller Coasters

**AN: **(Uhm?)

I was on fanfiction, and saw a VK cosplay ad with Kaname wearing a supersexy almost-completely-unbuttoned black shirt with blue flowers all over him!:DDDDDD AHAHAHAHAH! I almost just died, and he's not even REAL:P Sorry for being so random, but I just saw it and was like "OHMYGAWD!" I hadtah let you guys know:)

**Chapter Five: **Roller Coasters

_You still have all of my heart. ~ All my Heart, Sleeping with Sirens_

"Zero? Ze…Oh, no! _Zero_!" In her haste to get to him, Yuuki nearly trips over the sidewalk. She shrieks out her own shock before shaking her head, balancing herself, and returning to the task at hand. _Saving Zero_.

Day Four.

Day four, and he wants nothing more than to _die_.

Screw that stupid list; screw Yuuki and the Headmaster and Yagari; screw_ life_. He doesn't need it anymore. All it does is…ha…_kill_ him. Like right now. He's numb and lifeless and bleeding from self-inflicted wounds and he doesn't even _feel _them. Yuuki's talking to him, mumbling on about bandages and their adopted father while scratching at her head and giggling nervously. He tries not to flinch at the pain that comes with realizing that he will never again get to be so wholly innocent. He hopes she realizes just how lucky she is.

_She'll even get to love Kaname one day…_

And that's when the tears he forgets he's crying come at an even scarier pace.

Yuuki doesn't know what to think.

When he first came to her, he didn't cry. When he bit her, he didn't cry. When he caught word of her childish crush on Kaname, he didn't cry. When the entire world was set against him, he didn't cry. Because _he didn't cry_.

There was no way around it, really. Which is why she's so utterly and completely lost. What could have happened with Kaname, of all people, that tore to shreds Zero Kiryuu's practically invincible strength?

She takes one last look at the cuts to his neck before tossing her head in a desperate attempt to search out the Headmaster through the dense darkness. Leave it to Zero to cut himself with his own_ nails_.

After a few moments of terrifying silence, their adopted father weaves his way through the night with a flashlight grasped tightly in his right hand. "So sorry! I would have come sooner but…" He freezes in shock when he sees just what Yuuki's kneeling beside. "Oh, goodness…Kiryuu, what's happened?" The question is directed towards Yuuki, but she can do nothing more than shake her head in a moment of complete confusion.

"I found him like this," she whispers. Turning to face him, she places a gentle hand on his head and brushes back his hair. Once again, that feeling of something gone wrong comes back to haunt her. "He won't talk to me." _It's just like that night so many years ago…He was too heart-broken to speak…_

Zero hates himself right now. It's even started _raining_!

It's cliché and he's tired and he feels ill and he just wants to go _home_.

So, when Yuuki's hand in his hair gets to be too much, he grabs it and uses it as a guide to help him up. "Nothing's the matter. I'm fine. Now, can we please go home?"

Yuuki can't help but to look absolutely dumbfounded. "But, Zero! You…"

"Sounds like a plan, Zero!" the Headmaster cheerfully interrupts. "A good night's rest will do you good, I think!"

"Yah, good…"

* * *

He tries to ignore the fact that the hunter's scent is stale around him. He doesn't even bother to look for the youth's clothes, since he knows by the scent that nothing of Zero's is close by. Instead, he finishes buttoning-up his shirt before finger-combing through his hair in a very lazy way. He notices the shorts of his that the hunter left behind, but the spring water had eliminated whatever was left of the youth's sweet scent.

His eyes are proof of his exhaustion, and its right about now that he's supposed to be alive.

Maybe it had been foolish to waste his day-light hours on an ex-human. It's clearly drained his strength.

He tries not to think. He doesn't need his own thoughts to turn against him.

But they do.

_Look what you've gone and done now, Kaname. You've ruined what could have been a perfect chance. You let the boy slip right through your fingers! And for Cara, of all the vampires…_

Zero should have known about his life outside of the Academy. It should have been blatantly obvious.

Vampires like Cara weren't an everyday importance, but they made themselves present throughout the years he has spent alone. He wasn't foolish enough to think that his body could wait hundreds of years for just one girl – soul mates or otherwise.

Still, this time…he can feel nothing but guilt.

_Zero was _right there_, damn it! How do you think he feels? You left him for some _receptionist_!_

It doesn't even matter that she's beautiful, because she isn't as beautiful as _him_. She's blonde hair and blue eyes and she's the same thing he's seen a hundred times over.

Kiryuu…

_Well, he's all _kinds_ of different._

He folds away the wrinkles in his shirt and makes for the entrance, not at all noticing that Clara isn't there anymore, either.

_Maybe…maybe this is a good thing. You are destined for Yuuki, you know…_

But it doesn't matter.

He only longs for just one, simple moment with the stubborn youth. He only wishes to let Zero feel what he has for so long felt in private. He's not stupid enough to think that he can have the hunter forever, no matter how much he longs for it. His lover shall be Yuuki; he shall be _Yuuki's_.

_Just one moment, please. Let me apologize for my mistakes. Let me show him how I feel, even if I must leave him in the end. Just…let me fix this…_

When he walks outside only to find that Zero's scent is stale and moving far from the limo – where his driver is still patiently waiting, if not a with a bit of a worried look dusting his aged features – he wants to cry. He wants to crack his own, stupid façade and put everything that isn't Zero far, _far_ behind him.

He slips into the backseat and nods at the driver, not even bothering with a thank you because he's _Kaname freaking Kuran. _"When we get back to the Academy, remind me to have someone fired."

It's not fair; he knows that. It isn't her fault – he _could _have said no.

But Kaname Kuran was never fair, and now is no time to start.

* * *

He sleeps what's left of the night away, and doesn't end up waking until sometime the next afternoon.

The silver-haired youth rolls so that his back is pressed into the sheets and stares up at the ceiling, sighing as he does so. The sleep, at least, was peaceful – unbroken by the usual mess of nightmares. He turns his head to face the open window, squinting at the sunlight because of how sensitive his eyes are to it.

He hates himself for letting it happen, but his mind can do nothing but go back to the night previous. Even now, it doesn't make sense. One moment, he and Ka – er…_Kuran _were talking like the best of friends, about this and that and whatever else they could think of. The next, the sonofabitch! was ditching him for some useless little vampire _whore_. Not only did it bruise the hell out of his ego, but it made him feel…useless. Like, if he isn't good for Kuran, then who _is _he good for?

Sure, the vampire had been beautiful, and he isn't foolish enough to think he's better than her, but he had had faith in his and Kaname's newly formed friendship. He knows very little about desire, simply because he's shied away from every possible encounter – even by his own hand. He feels as if Shizuka has ruined him; has taken from him the normalcies of life that even vampires are sure to experience.

She's tainted him with a hand so dirty that it's impossible for him to ever live up to the standards Kuran clearly lives by.

Of course, Kuran isn't the same. People aren't exaggerating when they say that vampires are rather sexual beings. He's heard all the stories – read all the books. But, still…He wants Kuran to be there for _him_.

And he _hates_ himself for it.

Because Kuran can never be Ichiru, and he can _never_ be Yuuki. He can only be his own, stubborn, infuriating self. A _pureblood __**vampire**_.

But, at the end of the day, it's the ex-human/hunter that's not good enough for Kuran.

Such thoughts get him to run angry hands through his hair.

He doesn't want to think about it anymore, because not being good enough for Kuran is enough to make him hate himself more than he already does.

So, rather than moping about it like some pre-teen girl, he gets up, grabs some clean clothes, and makes for the showers.

_Day Four._

_I think I'll do something…that doesn't involve Kuran._

* * *

Yuuki stares at the coffee-drinking boy before her confusedly.

He seems so…_normal_. In fact, he seems perfectly _fine_!

"Zero…"

"Mmm?" He raises his eyes from the mug before him and stares at her, questioning the reason for being spoken to.

Whatever she's about to say flies straight through the window, though, leaving her a hopeless, squirming mess of awkward. "Uhm…uh…so…h-have you…EVERRIDDENAROLLARCOASTER?"

His eyes widen a bit, and he has to blink just to make out the first word of such a jumbled sentence. "Uhm…what was that?"

She sighs, wipes the sweat from her brow, and leans back in her chair – all the while being stared at by Zero like she'd forgotten to take her medicine. "Have you ever ridden a roller coaster before, Zero? The Headmaster has been talking about some family bonding time…" Thank goodness her exuberant mess of a 'father' had been practically begging her over the past few weeks to ask Zero how he fancied amusement parks.

"How about today?"

"W-well, that's a bit _sudden_, Zero…"

"I don't care. Go get dressed. I'll tell the Headmaster." He stands up, grabs his coffee, and makes a move to leave the table completely.

"Wait! Zero!"

But it's too late. He's already half-way down the hallway by the time she finally gets to doubt the boy's sanity.

"Oh, Zero…what are we going to do with you?"

* * *

The Headmaster stands in front of his car, blinking rapidly as if to dismiss his own confusion. Zero stands proudly beside him, practically smiling he's so excited. Yuuki watches the two of them from the other side, her hand on the door as she waits for either one of them to make the first move. She still doesn't really know what's going on.

One moment, she was slipping on a t-shirt, and, the next, Zero was dragging her down the hallway, saying something about never having ridden a roller coaster before.

He led her outside to the Headmaster's car, where the Headmaster himself was just standing there, confused out of his mind. _Just last night, the boy was a mess…Now, he wants to ride _roller coasters_?_

"So, can we _leave_?" Zero asks, clearly in a hurry to leave. He wants to get as far away from Kuran as physically possible. Screw the bastard; this time, he is _not_ going with them.

"Well, Zero…" The Headmaster starts, straightening up and adjusting his glasses while smiling over at his adopted daughter – assuring her that whatever was wrong is now gone. "I'm afraid that we cannot leave without…"

"Don't fucking _say_ it…"

"Kaname…"

"FUCK _YOU_!"

"_Zero_! I already promised him he could come with us! You two seemed to finally be getting along, and he's so terribly lonely all by himself in those dorms! I only wanted to make him feel wanted! Yuuki and I didn't want to hurt his feelings…"

"Bastards like him don't have _feelings_."

"That's not true!" Yuuki squeals. "You're just _stubborn_!"

"So what if I am? I still don't want the bloodsucker tagging along and ruining my day!"

"Well that's too bad, Zero, because I've already called him to let him know!" the Headmaster practically cheers, waving his cell phone around in the air as if to thank the gods for mobile devices.

"Damn it! I'm not going!"

"Quit being a child, Zero! I don't like tantrums!"

"You throw them all the time! Don't _even_, Cross."

"That's 'papa' to you, mister!"

"You've _got_ to be kidding…"

"I hope I'm not interrupting."

All eyes turn towards the pureblood, which, for all they know, materialized out of thin air sometime during their rather immature bout of bickering.

Zero ducks his head, praying to all of the gods that he doesn't believe in that his hair is long enough to hide his flaming cheeks.

"Ah, Kaname!" the Headmaster sighs, smiling up at the taller man. "I'm so sorry for the rushed agenda, but Kiryuu was just _so _set on going today…"

Again, Zero starts praying to those imaginary gods.

Kaname smiles, but doesn't look at the previously mentioned boy. He still doesn't know where they stand, but he has his suspicions. "It's no problem at all, Cross. Thank you for inviting me."

"I hope you don't mind sitting in the back? Yuuki just_ loves_ calling shot-gun…"

Turning to smile at his dear girl when she blushes, the pureblood has to pool together all of his strength not to look at the boy standing opposite of her. _Ah, so I'll have to sit by him, then? This should be fun…_

"It's no problem at all, Headmaster." Well, at least the car is _spacious_. There'd be at least six inches of space between the two of them, if not a whole twelve. Maybe, if he were civil enough, the youth would even bother to _look _at him.

Not that he's looking, yet, either, but that's beside the point. (Simply because the pureblood in him refuses to believe that he's stooping down to the same level as a pesky ex-human, which is more a matter of personal pride than one of his feelings towards said ex-human.)

So, smiling like all is finally right with the world, Yuuki slips into the passenger side, blushing again when Kaname goes to close her door like any gentleman would. He takes a prolonged moment to look at her, wondering when their 'love' for each other will really sink in. Even in her case, she's only reacting to having a crush on an attractive man. In truth, she doesn't know him enough – or doesn't _remember_ enough – to love him like she's soon supposed to.

It's a depressing thought, but he refuses to let it get to him. One day, his feelings for the ex-human he's about to slide in next to will go away, and his whole world will be _Yuuki, Yuuki, Yuuki_…

_Yah, right, Kuran._

* * *

Zero hates how fast things are spiraling out of control.

Leave it to the pureblood to weasel his way so far into the Headmaster's heart that he'd go and invite the bloodsucker on some trip he didn't even know was happening until thirty minutes ago. And, again, leave it to the man to let Yuuki get the front seat, even though she had _never_ called shot-gun like he said.

He's practically _pouting_, he's so put-out.

Kuran is the last thing he wants on his mind, but, right now, he's all that _is_.

With the pureblood so close, it's all he can do not to go back to the way they were before last night's…_finale_. He wants to chat about nothing – and everything – until he's so tired that he starts laughing and Kuran joins in with that little melody of a chuckle…

But it's not so easy.

He still feels betrayed by the pureblood's actions, even if lust is an emotion he should (at least try to) understand. Plus, to make things worse, the fact that he's caring about it at all is driving him insane. With Yuuki, even, he just let things pass over without giving much thought to them. Even if it was something serious, he was safe with the knowledge that her bright spirit would get over it. They were like every other brother and sister on the planet – fighting over something pointless and then forgetting about it the next morning.

But Kuran…

_God damn it! This is way too fucking confusing! Why can't I just make it all _stop_?_

He figured out a long time ago that his life wasn't meant to be easy, but this…

Is _torture_.

Because he wants to apologize for getting upset and leaving last night, because he wants to see Kuran smile just _one last fucking time_. Because a pureblood is a pureblood – no matter the fact that this one is something other than whatever it was that Zero was expecting. Because Kuran is a man who likes sex, just like he should, too. Because he's so screwed up that he can't even begin to understand what pushed the pureblood to do it, even if he knows he should.

Because his life seems to be moving at some sick sort of speed, and he can't pull himself back from the mess it's left behind.

_Four days, Kiryuu…_

Those three words are a repeated whisper against his skull the whole time they're in the car, even after Yuuki and the Headmaster start singing along to whatever crap plays on the radio these days.

Kaname feels it all, of course.

Right now, the hunter's emotions are spinning completely out of control – so much so that he's not even bothering with keeping them in check. Kaname can feel anguish, hope, longing, rage, _confusion, confusion, confusion_…

They're so strong that he's sure even the humans in the car can feel them.

He really, _really_ hopes that he's not the reason for it all.

If he was regretting his decision before, he's _loathing _it now.

Cara seems so ugly – so _plain_ – compared to the silver-haired beauty he's currently sitting beside. The want to apologize is strong, but he's scared of the hunter's reaction, as hard as it is to admit that he's scared of anything at all.

He's so tempted to just grab that perfect face in his hands and kiss him senseless, regardless of the consequences. He's spent too long dreaming of and longing for the hunter…And now, whatever slim chance he may have had, is gone. Slipped right through his fingers, it has.

It pisses him off and tears his heart to shreds at the same time.

He tilts his head upwards, so slightly that he's sure no one can tell what he's doing. For a second, he bothers to admire the soft fabric of the car's roof, noting how expensive it must be, and how the Headmaster's tastes may not _all_ be tacky.

Thinking about it, he doesn't know what he believes in. He only knows that he needs _something_ to answer his prayers.

So, returning to the real reason for having looked up, he closes his eyes and prays.

_I know that he and I can never truly be, but…Well, I only wish to have my apology accepted. Please, don't make me a fool in his eyes. His love and understanding are the two most important things in the world to me._

* * *

"AHHH! Yuuki! Did you_ see_ that? Zero, Kaname, DID YOU SEE THAT?" While waiting for a chance to purchase their tickets, the Headmaster starts bouncing up and down, pointing at random roller coasters throughout the park and voicing his appreciation. "So many drops and loops and cork-screws and turns and – OH! I can't wait to ride them with my darling _children_!" He clasps his hands together and brings them up to rub adoringly at his face. "I'll make sure to take so many pictures…"

Kaname can't help but to smile at this, although it goes unnoticed by the fuming and blushing 'children'. Yuuki looks embarrassed enough to die, even if she's secretly ecstatic at her adopted father's adoring antics. Zero seems…Well, Kaname can barely look long enough to gauge his reaction, although he's sure the youth's face is contorted with anger to some degree.

He knows he needs to apologize soon (as scared as he may still be), but to do it beside Cross and Yuuki and hundreds of other strangers…It doesn't seem right.

Instead, he goes about examining the park, happy to finally be out of the car. All around him, children are screaming in excitement, teens are shouting out things he'd rather not think about, and parents are trailing lazily behind – holding hands and smiling like it's the best day of their lives.

No vampires, as far as he can tell. It must be heaven for the hunter.

He almost sighs. Of course, his thoughts _would_ fall back to the hunter.

And, just like his thoughts, his eyes follow, too.

He can't help it. He's gone almost a full three hours without actually _seeing_ that familiar figure. As if they've been apart for years, he misses every part of the hunter so terribly that it aches. That silver hair, those lilac eyes, that body…

When he really gets a good look at Zero, the guilt tearing at his chest increases ten thousand percent.

The young hunter is wearing a stoic expression as he stares almost helplessly at the ground, seemingly unaware of the pureblood's stare. His arms are folded over his chest as he stands there, quietly, while Yuuki and the Headmaster go on about their excitement. He seems tired – drained. Like all of those years of hard work as a hunter have finally come back to get him.

And then, a new fear comes.

What if what the hunter said the other night, about dying, hasn't gone away? What if his beloved Zero is still intent on taking his own life?

This thought pushes a surge of anger through his system, causing the clenched fists at his side as he does his best to shield his aura.

_Screw this_, he thinks, ignoring his own…vulgar(?) language. _I'm making this better before it can get any worse._

Confused at their own actions, but too weak to fight against them, the long line of humans standing before them steps to the side, allowing him to move through with the power a King holds over his subjects. He ignores the way Yuuki and the Headmaster stare at him, with their mouths hanging open and their confusion giving off rather noticeable vibes.

Handing over the money needed – and then some – he motions towards his little group for them to come and get their wristbands. He keeps his eyes glued to Zero's form the whole while, knowing that now is the time, and that he has very little time if he wants to make the hunter smile again.

* * *

Zero can't even get mad at Kuran for using his powers – he's so drained. Usually, he would have thrown a fit, but he's in no mood to do so now. He doesn't even want to _look_ at the pureblood anymore, let alone_ speak_ to him.

It seems a shame to waste a day, but he's almost positive that he's having no fun, now. Not when Kuran's so close, dressed in a white, button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows and pair of very nicely fitting, designer brand jeans.

He doesn't know why this bit seems to be bothering him the most, but, every time he chances a glance at the pureblood from the corner of his eye, he finds his cheeks flushing instantly as a spike of something shockingly familiar courses through his system.

He doesn't want to think about it. He really, _really_ doesn't want to think about it.

So, instead, he focuses on the place around them. He hangs behind the group as they squeal in excitement over the rides, and, while some of them _do_ look fun, he doubts he'll be riding any today. It doesn't matter that he's never had this childhood experience – not when his life is falling to pieces three days before it's even over.

Everything is so…_happy_ looking. Everywhere he looks, people are smiling and laughing like it's the best day of their lives.

He hates to mope, he really does. Because he's _not_ some angst-y teenager. But it's still hard not to hate these people. They have everything that he doesn't. They have everything he'll never _get_ to have.

It pisses him off. He wants to go shoot something.

Too bad bringing _Bloody Rose_ to the park would have gotten him kicked out. It's back home, on his dresser, behind the door that he has reinforced with about six different locks. He misses it terribly.

So, he looks at the rides, instead. Yuuki seems set on getting him on one of those roller coasters, even if he knows that, deep down, she's scared shitless about the idea. Even the Headmaster wouldn't set foot on one of those things, as energetic about the cause as he seems. _"Kiryuu has never ridden a roller coaster before? Ah! Well, I know what we're doing first!" _Zero knows the second Cross gets close, the color will fade from his face, and he'll have to leave for a convenient 'bathroom break'. It's a typical Cross move.

This would leave him with Kaname – which is not a good plan. Not only is the pureblood attracting the hunter's attention in some very dangerous ways, but Zero's still pretty intent on hating the bastard.

No matter how he looks at it, there's no way past what was done to him, and it still pisses him off.

Yah, there's no way in hell he's getting on a roller coaster with Kuran. He'd probably end up pushing the son-of-a-bitch right over the edge, anyway. Too dangerous.

He doesn't want to lose Yuuki before he actually has to.

* * *

Yuuki blushes at something Kaname says, smiling and nodding her head along with the both his and the Headmaster's words. If she's being honest, though, she's not really listening.

She can't keep her focus of off Zero, who's walking rather dejectedly behind them – like a puppy lost in the rain. While she can't be too sure, she has her suspicions that it has something to do with the incident last night and Kaname, which, now that she thinks about it, are probably synonymous.

She has to wonder if it's actually Kaname's fault, since he seems fine. Zero was always one to make a big show of things, and there was really no way for her to tell whether or not it was something he had done or something the pureblood had said. She only knows that whatever went down has something to do with Kaname for this or that reason.

It's actually pretty sad, and does a nice job of deflating her mood as they walk through the slightly crowded pathways, looking for something to start off their day. She desperately wants her boys to get along, even if only for a moment.

Of course, she knows that both the males are ridiculously strong-willed and careful of their pride, meaning that one won't apologize until the other does it first – which leaves them in quite a situation.

So, she decides, things need to fall into her hands. Whatever's happening needs to stop for all of their sakes. She doesn't want their day to be spoiled by the sour moods of a pureblood and an ex-human. In the end, she knows for sure that they can get along. They're just going to need a bit of…_help_.

* * *

When they've stopped at the center of the park to examine a map fit for their roller-coaster needs, Yuuki walks over to Zero and tugs rather childishly at his sleeve. She tries to ignore how good he looks – even in a t-shirt and jeans – but finds herself blushing, anyway. _Goodness, I really need to stop with all the sexy manga…It's screwing with my brain! I'm even looking at _Zero_ weird!_

He looks down at her, forces a smile, and very bluntly asks, "What?"

She pouts, a bit put-off by the ice in his tone, but pursues her goal none the less. "Can we split up? The Headmaster and I want to go ride that tea-cup ride, and I know how you have your heart set on riding all these wonderful roller coasters…"

"Fuck no. You're not leaving me with Kuran." He knows the pureblood can hear him. It's kind of the point.

"But _Zero_! We don't have to split up all _day_! Just so you can ride a few of those scary rides!"

"I'd rather go by myself, thank you."

"You two were getting along so well!" Her mood deflates quite a bit as the pain he's so clearly trying to hide shows through. She lowers her voice to a softer, calmer tone. "Zero, what happened? I'm sure he didn't mean it…"

He so very desperately wants to tell her – to tell _someone_. For reasons that he can't even begin to understand, he wants to give it all up and have someone solve the puzzle that's currently making a mess of his mind. Because he can't do it to save his life.

But he knows he never will.

So, to drop the subject, he agrees to go with Kaname.

For Yuuki's sake.

Not because he actually wants to _be_ with the pureblood.

No, never that.

* * *

Kaname can barely believe his luck.

One moment, he was chatting politely with Cross, the next, Zero was grabbing his wrist and dragging him away, mumbling something about splitting up.

He's so happy he could burst.

And he just might if Zero isn't careful. They're a good distance from where they left Yuuki and the Headmaster, and the boy's scarred hand is still wrapped securely around his wrist. He's so tempted to just walk hand-in-hand with the silver-haired youth, but he knows it's a bad idea the second it enters his mind.

He chooses to pull his wrist away, instead. Stopping in his tracks, he decides to get right to the matter at hand.

Red-faced from either embarrassment or anger, the young hunter spins around, clearly wondering why the pureblood pulled away and refused to walk any further. "Kuran…"

"Look, Kiryu," he says calmly, raising his palm in the air to signal his coming in peace. "I only wish to apologize for the way I acted last night. It was no way for a gentleman entertaining his guest to act. I'm sorry." He hopes Zero can see just how genuine he is about all of this – even if his words are cookie-cutter perfect and very desperately to the point. _Please, please, please…_

For a second, it doesn't seem like the hunter will be so forgiving. He seems at a war with his own emotions, and Kaname wishes more than anything that he could get inside that beautiful boy's mind.

Much to his delight, Zero only rolls his eyes and says, "Whatever, Kuran. Let's go find a roller coaster."

He doesn't do it until the boy's back is turned, but, when it is, he smiles the biggest he ever has.

* * *

The first roller coaster they choose to ride is called _The Tornado_, which is a nothing but a simple little drop and a few loops.

Of course, the line is horrendously long, but Zero refuses to turn back. While Kaname practically pouts beside him, the youth leans against the fence surrounding the line and stares absently at the people in front of him. Most are shaking where they stand, which makes the hunter smile. He wonders why, if they clearly don't want to do it, they're even standing here. They're all so pathetic seeming…so_ human_…

"Fuck," he curses under his breath, much too low for the humans to hear but easy for the pureblood standing beside him to catch.

"What was that, Kiryuu?"

Shaking his head, the youth returns to practically ignoring the pureblood's existence. He still isn't ready to forgive Kaname, even if he went and apologized like a '_gentleman_'.

At this point, he feels like a toddler throwing a tantrum, but he can't change is own mind-set. He doesn't want to, anyway.

Kaname frowns, and, again, asks, "_What_ was that, Kiryuu?"

The boy rolls his eyes, clearly not interested in telling his pureblood…acquaintance(?).

"Kiryuu, if you don't want to stay here, then we can surely leave for a different ride…"

"I'm fine, Kuran. Stop…just _stop_."

The pureblood snorts as he crosses his arms over his chest, going into the defensive. "If you don't want to be with me, then you can leave."

"And have Yuuki rip at my throat? Not happening. Sorry."

Another snort. "You'd jump off a bridge just to please her, wouldn't you, Kiryuu?"

The hunter frowns. "No. But you, Kuran, _would_."

They shuffle forward in line as Kaname blinks a few times to clear the near-actuality of that statement. _Yes, but I'd jump a thousand just to please you, Zero._

"That's only because I care for her as if she were my own sister." He keeps a calm composure, even if he's practically blurting out a secret the ex-human isn't yet ready to know.

"Psht. If that's brotherly love, then I should probably be a bit concerned. You're rather _close_ to her, Kuran. Don't ya think?"

Kaname smiles, and Zero has to look away because those lips forming that smile are freakin' dangerous. "Kiryuu, is that your way of telling me you wish you and I were so close?" His words are a tease, and he hopes they're well-received.

Zero angles his face forward so that the pureblood can't see the red staining his cheeks. "Stupid bastard of a pureblood…"

Again, they shuffle forward, and they're now quite close to the opening gates.

"Oh, Kiryuu, are you blushing?"

Suddenly, the pureblood is right at Zero's side, smiling down at him with eyes that practically sparkle with laughter. He reaches a hand forward, as if to brush his fingers past those porcelain cheeks, but the hunter slaps him away before it can get any closer.

What surprises the pureblood, though, is that Zero's actually…_smiling_.

* * *

"Oh, fuck, I'm _hungry_," Zero groans as he and Kaname fall back onto one of the benches conveniently placed at the exit of their sixth roller coaster of the day. While it was an experience he's glad to say he's had, he can't honestly say that he'd be disappointed dying without having ridden one.

He can't explain it, but being with the pureblood isn't actually as hard as he thought it would be. In fact, it's kind of…_fun_. With the exception of Ichiru, he's never really had another male to talk to, and it's a lot nicer than he remembers.

Kaname isn't always talking like Yuuki or squealing like the Headmaster (who is a male in only the physical aspect). He's willing to ride roller coasters and talk about pointless nonsense instead of diving headfirst into the deeper stuff like the above mentioned humans.

Other than that, he's even cool about Zero's being an ex-human. It doesn't seem to bother him a bit. Like it should.

The pureblood smiles, although he looks away so that Zero can't see. "Should we find Yuuki and the Headmaster? Maybe we can stop for dinner before we leave." He angles his head upwards to take a glance at the sinking sun, assuming it to be somewhere around six o'clock, further proof of their having spent most of their time waiting in lines. He doesn't mind, of course. He'd wait forever in line beside that stubborn hunter.

Zero shrugs, hesitant to find the pair when he knows the peace he now feels with the pureblood will fall to bits when Kaname sees Yuuki again.

It's stupid and selfish, and it doesn't make a bit of sense, but the hunter wants to keep the pureblood all to himself – just for a little bit longer.

"I'm sure they found something to eat already. Besides, I don't think I'm ready to leave yet," he says. He doesn't look at Kaname, because he's afraid his real feelings will show through. It's so nice to finally have a friend besides Yuuki…

But he doesn't want his stupid, traitorous heart to scare the pureblood away.

Because he shouldn't depend on others, and he's starting to.

"Well, what are you hungry for?" Kaname asks, cocking his head in curiosity as the hunter stares off into what can only be described as space. _What's running through your head, Zero?_

"Nothing big…I don't know…Uhm…" _Damn! Leave it to me to screw things up! Rambling like some girl…Stupid, stupid…_

"Kiryuu?"

His cheeks flame bright red, and he doesn't like where this is going. Maybe being alone with the pureblood isn't such a good idea. Maybe now is as good a time as any to find Yuuki and Cross.

"You know what? Never mind. Let's go find them!"

He stands up and smoothly walks through a crowd of people, practically parting a perfect path through them.

He doesn't even bother with turning around to see if the pureblood's following.

* * *

Lucky for him, Yuuki is only a few footsteps ahead, hiding behind a tree while pretending to be sneaky about it. She licks eagerly at an ice cream cone, giggling between every flick her tongue takes.

He smiles, but it's short-lived, because Kaname is suddenly behind him, smiling at Yuuki and pushing past Zero just to wrap his slender arms around her petite frame.

She blushes horribly while the pureblood picks her up, spinning her around. Adding to her embarrassment, when he puts her down, he leans forward to steal a taste of her ice cream. His smile is as calm and charming as ever – like he isn't embarrassing the hell out of his "dear girl" or pissing off the hunter watching them from a safe distance a few feet off.

Luckily, the Headmaster appears, disappointed in not being found before announcing that it's time to go home.

"Can we stop for dinner first?" Kaname asks, smiling politely. "Kiryuu and I haven't had a chance to eat, yet. We've been busy riding roller coasters all day."

Zero just ignores it all – even when the Headmaster jumps in excitement and starts squealing about soft pretzels and how _amazing_ they are and how he just _has_ to try one.

* * *

After a bit of greasy food to settle the stomach, Zero and Kaname climb into the back of the car. The young hunter stretches his arms far over his head, closing his eyes and yawning as he does so. The pureblood only wants to watch.

Yuuki climbs in slowly, her eyes red and puffy in exhaustion. Kaname realizes, then, just how precious she is, and just how much he loves her. She is beautiful and innocent and everything he was raised to love, and he does, but not enough.

Because, all future ties and unrequited feelings aside, he really does love the boy sitting beside him.

With all his heart and soul.

Zero Kiryuu is all that Kaname Kuran wants.

_Even if only for just a fleeting, simple moment, I will have him. I will let him know just how much I care for him. If he does not love me back, then I will my life happily beside Yuuki. If he does…Well, then…I will live my life beside Yuuki._

* * *

Somewhere towards the middle of the ride, Zero ends up falling asleep with his cheek pressed against the cool glass of the window.

His dream is nothing but the shaken bits of his day with Kaname – from staring at the ground from the highest point of a roller coaster to cracking some joke and watching the pureblood's face light up with genuine and excited enjoyment. Again and again, he finds himself staring at Kaname, just soaking up the glow that was the pureblood's radiance.

His smiles, his laughter – so fleeting and yet so precious. His over-all good looks and how they drove Zero crazy, even if he would never admit it to anyone but himself. How gentle and caring he was – even if, in the end, he is a pureblood and Zero is a hunter-turned-ex-human.

Even if he had wanted to, the barely-conscious part of Zero that can still think is sure that he could no longer be angry with the pureblood.

* * *

Zero wakes to a gentle hand shaking his shoulder. "Wake-up, Kiryuu," it coos. "We're back at the Academy. Kiryuu…"

"Hmm? Wha…" Rolling over a bit, the tired hunter opens his eyes to face the soft, sleep-deprived eyes of one Kaname Kuran. Because he's still not fully awake, he smiles at the pureblood, truly happy to get to wake to that face. "Kaname…" he sighs, not aware of the fact that he just called the vampire by his first name. "Mmmm." His eyes flutter closed as the pureblood continues to stare at him, open-mouthed and evidently in shock.

_Did he just…?_

"Kiryuu, I really think you need to wake up…" He's getting desperate now. The Headmaster is already carrying Yuuki to bed, leaving just the pureblood and hunter in the car. The silver-haired youth looks so innocent, and he just called him by his first name…He doesn't trust himself to be alone with the boy for too much longer. He may do something reckless.

Again, he shakes the boy's shoulder.

This ends badly.

For some reason that the pureblood still can't explain, the boy rolls over onto his lap, where he then goes to rub his face against Kaname's jeans. He sighs contently before snoring away, clearly pleased with his new position and not at all willing to leave.

It'd be cute if Kaname wasn't so scared of how his body's going to react.

Still, he can't help but brush the bangs away from Zero's eyes so that he can get a good look of what is the innocence of the boy's sleeping face.

What he sees steals the breath straight from his lungs.

"Oh, Zero…"

He's so beautiful when the weight of the world isn't crushing his shoulders. It's like the scars of his past don't even exist anymore. Had he been like this more often, Kaname would have probably fallen for him a lot sooner.

"Zero," he whispers, not even caring if he's caught using the hunter's first name. He knows he won't get in trouble – at least not tonight. "How about I carry you to your room?"

He gets a mumbled reply purred against his thigh, which forces him to suck in a quick, sharp breath.

Because it'd be dangerous to wait any longer, he opens the door, pulls the sleeping hunter into his lap, and steps out as casually as if he were carrying a grocery bag.

His steps are long and gentle, but slow. He never wants to let Zero go; he wants to hold his precious love until the day one of them dies (which will be never, if he can help it). Having the boy wrapped up in his arms, practically cuddling against his shirt, it's almost too much.

He knows this can never be his life. Zero will never love him. He can only take their friendship for what it is and hope that, one day, before he has to leave for good, he can tell the hunter just how he feels. At least the boy doesn't hate him. This much is clear by the fact that he actually allowed himself to fall asleep in his presence.

Hunters are never supposed to fall asleep around vampires – even trusted ones.

His lips pull back into a simple smile.

"You look like a child, Kiryuu," he whispers, reverting back to his old name for the hunter in the case of him hearing. "So innocent…" He slows down just a bit more. The dorms are only so far away from where the car was left.

"Thank you for today, Kiryuu. I was sure that you hated me. I'm sorry, again, for making such a serious mistake. She wasn't even worth it – not compared to you. I was just so upset with myself – and with you – that I couldn't control my actions. I let the pureblood side of me take over." He shakes his head, clearly disappointed in himself. "You are the only one I ever want to love like that. Cara is just a toy. I only use her to keep myself on good terms with the vampires she knows. It's a dirty game – being a pureblood."

He's at the main entrance now, cloaking his aura even though every other human is gone for summer break. He has to wonder why the hunter spends his time alone in an empty dorm. _Does he not long for companionship? Isn't it driving him insane?_

But then he remembers…

"Kiryuu, you are used to being alone, aren't you?" He frowns, not liking the idea of this precious trinket being left alone for any reason. "Someone should always be with you – just to keep you safe. I know you're strong, but sometimes…"

Before he knows it, he's at the hunter's room.

With a deflated sigh, he uses his powers to un-lock and open the door.

Instantly, he's hit with the sweet scent that is Zero. It encompasses him completely, wrapping him up in its warmth and familiarity.

With a few more steps, he's at the boy's bed. Placing him gently against the mattress, he slips off the hunter's shoes and takes one last, long look at his sleeping face. "Sleep well, _Zero_."

He can't stop himself. It just sort of…_happens_.

In a matter of seconds, his lips are pressed softly against the sleeping hunter's.

And, in a matter of seconds, those lips and their owner are gone.

_We can waste our whoe lives helplessly,_

_Just waiting for a love like you and me._

* * *

**AN: **LOOOOOOONGGG chapter:P It was gonna be longer at first (like, split up into two parts), but it would then be SUPER boring, and Kaname wouldn't have gotten to kiss his lovely Zero:3 Sorry if it was rushed, but I wanted to update real fast since i haven't been lately:) Personally, I liked the part about Yuuki and her sexy manga;)

Alright, just a few points I wanna clear up real fast:  
**Yes, my characaters have gone OOC: **Oops. They just slipped right through my fingers:( Sorry.  
**Kaname has sex: **Wow, this really pissed you guys off;) I don't know why. I mean, I'm sorry, but, in my story, at least, sex doesn't really _disgust_ him. He's used to having to resort to it in order to secure trust with those he has to please. While he would have loved to wait for Yuuki (or, now Zero:3), a man so many hundreds of years old can't really fight it off, if ya know what I mean:P  
**Honorifics: **Yah, I suck at using 'em, so I dropped 'em. SORRY.  
**Zero doesn't touch himself: **Guys, he's been scarred for life by some scary-ass pureblood vampire. He feels dirty.

Thanks for the pointers, guys, but I have it under control! I REALLY HONESTLY appreciate your advice and what-not, and I'm not mad at all, especially since most of you who had complaints still said you liked the story anyway:) I'm sorry if I've dissapointed you, and I'm really thankful for the ones who liked it anyway!:D

REVIEWWWWwwwwwwWWWW?


	7. The Zoo A

**AN: **Heh…yaah…I'm such a terrible author:( I treat you guys so horribly;_; It's not as long as it should be, either...

**Chapter Six: **The Zoo (A)

_And you never would have thought in the end how amazing it feels just to live again. _– Blue and Yellow, The Used.

* * *

_With a few more steps, he's at the boy's bed. Placing him gently against the mattress, he slips off the hunter's shoes and takes one last, long look at his sleeping face. "Sleep well, __Zero__."_

_He can't stop himself. It just sort of…__happens__._

_In a matter of seconds, his lips are pressed softly against the sleeping hunter's._

_And, in a matter of seconds, those lips and their owner are gone._

His body is frozen – pressed close to the mattress with wide eyes and a racing heart. Both hands are curled painfully tight around the blanket beneath him, as if he's trying to cling desperately onto something that the blanket can really only symbolize.

Shock courses through his system – surging through his body in wild and aggressive bursts. No thoughts can cross his mind, no words can leave his lips, no limbs can move. He can only lie there while the shock of his life races through his bloodstream. He can only let it pass, with the hope, of course, that it will.

_Hunters must hate vampires. Hunters can only live to kill vampires. Hunters can never trust or like a vampire. Hunters have to kill vampires. Hunters must learn all of their weaknesses, strengths…anything that we can use when fighting against them. To love one of those beasts in human form would be to take part in the worst sort of sin…_

* * *

For reasons that he can't quite understand, the pureblood finds his steps travelling back towards the Headmaster's quarters, where Yuuki has – once again – been set to sleep on Cross' sofa. In a second, he's at her side, bending forward and brushing a few strands of hair from her porcelain features.

"Yuuki…" His voice comes out more pathetic than expected. "I've made many mistakes throughout this life, but I fear…I fear so _much_…" He ducks his head and does his best to keep it together. For his sake. For Yuuki's. _For Zero's…_

"One day, you will wake up for me, and you will realize just how far your little 'crush' goes." His lips pull back into an _almost _sort of smile. "Love is such a delicate thing – I realize that now." He reaches forward and rests his fingertips against her cheek, wondering what went wrong – wondering why he doesn't feel that spark anymore. "I used to have so much faith in you and me, but, now…Yuuki, I've made such a mess of this life. I'm afraid that, this time, I may not be able to clean anything up. I'll have to break my own heart just to spare yours. Because I love you, Yuuki, but not like _you_ love _me_."

Tears threaten to spring, but he's so used to fighting them back by now that it's only a fleeting fear. "I've been so lonely. To be a pureblood…Well, I'm sure you won't like it. Everything has something to do with business, and our hearts are nothing but toys – as are our bodies and minds and whatever-else they can get their fingers around. It's not fair. He…makes it all _non-existent_. You soothe the pain, and he eliminates it completely. You are all that I should want, and he is all that I _do_. He treats me like a _person_, Yuuki. And he is so beautiful, and so unique, and I think I may just lose myself in those eyes if I look just one more time…"

Pulling his fingers away, he sighs heavily, trying to ignore the fact that the air is brushing past the lips that _just kissed Zero's._

"Maybe I should leave…" It's a thought that comes at lightning speed. The moment it hits him, he has to say it out loud. "Ichijo can take care of Dorm Leader duties, and I don't actually need any of those classes. Besides, it won't be too much longer until you come back to me…" His breath falters as a piercing ache practically tears through his chest. Gritting his teeth, he kisses her cheek, stands up, and makes the decision. "I'm leaving. Tomorrow."

And then he's gone – so much like a ghost that, had Yuuki been awake, she probably wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

* * *

_Day five…_

The silver-haired youth doesn't even remember falling asleep, but he doesn't bother with trying to. His body feels heavy, as if it's been weighed down with lead. Rolling out from beneath the sheets is quite a task, indeed.

For a minute or two, he just sits there, staring out the small window by his bed and letting his mind stay a blank slate.

When he stands up, it's only with the intention of taking a shower. His eyes are carefully guarded and cold – practically stone-like in the way that they seem more emotionless than anything.

_Day five…_

_You don't have much time left, Kiryuu. Dead man walking…_

"_**Fix your mistakes, Kiryuu. God knows you've made them."**_

* * *

The morning light is no comfort to the pureblood.

He should be catching up on the sleep he's lost – not packing bags with the intention of leaving for a time too near to forever. Still, he moves through his room slowly – like a beautiful and broken machine that would usually be moving oh so fast and smoothly.

Deep down, though, he knows that he can't keep this up. If he wants to live the life his parents wanted him to, then he really has no choice. One day, he'll come back for Yuuki – who will by then know her true identity – and, somehow, life will fall back into perspective. He may never forget Zero, and the hunter may die young because of the lack of a pureblood's blood in his life, but that, at least, would eliminate half the problem. He would never have to worry about seeing the silver-haired youth again.

Even in his mind, it sounds ridiculously cruel and unnecessary.

_Maybe I'll come back just to let him feed from time to time, because I really want him to live forever, but…_

Of course, there was one other way to assure the hunter's immortality, but the thought was quickly put to rest. No way in _hell_ Zero would want it. No way in hell Kaname could even let it happen.

Sighing angrily, the pureblood gives it all up and collapses onto his bed – back pressed into the silk blankets. He runs frustrated fingers through his hair, grumbling about destiny and stubborn ex-humans.

Of course, the world revolves around Zero. _Of course_ it does.

Every thought, every decision – the hunter was, and is, always there.

Which is why he _has_ to leave today. He has no choice. Getting caught up with a Level D is already tricky business, but getting caught up with one who doesn't even _want_ him? First of all, TABOO. Second of all, risky as hell. Third of all, absolutely heart-breaking.

It breaks him to pieces every time he thinks about the hunter like a love-struck fool, only to find the object of his affections staring off into space rather than at him. Words cannot describe the ache that has always formed somewhere deep within his chest – now ten thousand times more painful due to their new friendship.

He's always felt something for the hunter. Simply because, at the end of the day, Zero was the only person – vampire or otherwise – who treated him like a normal person. No bowing or bending backwards to tend to his every need.

And even now, when it was safe to say that they had gone and formed a friendship of some sort, the young hunter still treats the pureblood like a regular, ordinary person. No pure blood or powerful positions hold his image.

And it's a beautiful, _glorious_ thing…

He'd have jumped at the chance to woo the hunter if Yuuki weren't a massive and complicated part of their delicately proportioned equation.

It hurts to think it, but he needs to leave. No other road is possible.

Zero can never be his. Zero will never _want_ to be his.

* * *

Walking towards the Headmaster's quarters, Zero keeps his head held low as he steps over the path. He ignores all the questions buzzing around in his head, and focuses on the grass.

_What a lovely shade of green…It looks a lot like what people paint in pictures. If the sun were out, I bet it'd look even better, but it looks like it's gonna rain any damn minute. I bet that means I won't get to do anything today. I bet that means that Yuuki's going to call up Kuran and have him over for dinner or something. Damn…that _kiss_…_

Sighing angrily, he kicks a rock on the path – sending it flying.

_Don't be such a baby, Kiryuu. You know you liked…_

The thought is cut off, thankfully, by Cross' excited squeal as it cuts through the morning air. "Toga! Toga's here for breakfast, Yuuki! _Oh_, Zero will be so excited!"

A small smile transforms the hunter's face as all previous thoughts are abandoned for newer, more important ones. His steps take on a quicker pace – true excitement coursing happily through his viens.

He sends the front door flying open, and finds his previous master standing only a few feet away from the entrance, shaking his head good-naturdely at the Headmaster's childish antics. Yuuki is huddled on the couch, buried by blankets and wearing a confused expression over her sweet features. One that reads, _How did I even end up here?_

She tries a smile at Zero's entrance, but it falters rather quickly. He can tell she still wants to sleep some more.

Yagari turns, all sly smiles and _dashing_ good looks. "Finally decided to show yourself, apprentice? I was getting worried that you'd end up sleeping the whole day away." Stepping to pat his ex-apprentice on the shoulder, Yagari tries a softer smile for Zero's sake, but he's not very good at being fuzzy, so it fails and ends up looking a little bit creepy.

"Uhm," Zero says, slightly put-off by the way Yagari's looking at him. "N-no…I've been up for a while, actually. I would have come sooner, but I didn't know that you'd be here." More creepy smiling. "_Anyway_, how long are you in for?"

The one-eyed hunter shrugs while turning his gaze to the floor and stuffing his hands in his jacket's pockets. "I was hoping to spend the night, actually."

"That's an excellent idea!" the Headmaster sings, popping his head over Yagari's shoulder and smiling like a physco. "Excellent! Truly, gloriously, _excellent_!"

Yagari shakes his head, although good-naturedly.

Zero cocks his head to the side, examining his old master carefully. Something…just isn't right with him. Usually, Yagari would be growling out demands and scolding the Headmaster for saying whatever stupid comments usually tended to fall from his head. Now, though, he's _smiling_ at Zero and actually seems to be _enjoying_ Cross' presence!

"So, how about some breakfast?" Cross asks, smiling brilliantly in Yagari's direction. "I'll make whatever Toga likes!" He throws his hands up into the air and runs towards the kitchen, followed by a grumbling Yagari.

The second the door closes, Yuuki laughs like she's been holding it in for quite some time now. "Those two make _quite_ a pair, don't they?" She buries her face in the blankets as more girlish giggles are ripped from her throat.

_Why the hell is everyone acting so strangely today?_

"Well," Yuuki sighs. "At least he'll have some help in the kitchen. Headmaster really needs to learn a thing or two from someone who actually _knows_ how to cook. Don't you think, Zero?"

"Uhm, yah…"

As if in shock, Yuuki's mouth falls open to form a near perfect "o" of surprise. Growling at herself, she smacks herself on the forehead. "Zero, can you do me a favor? I forget to ask Kaname to breakfast, and I'm in no order to get him now…" She motions wildly to her state of _I clearly haven't had a shower since yesterday morning_. "I don't want him to be lonely…"

"I'm not going to get him," Zero growls, ignoring the fact that his cheeks flush red for no apparent reason. Seeing the disappointment on Yuuki's face, he has to breathe deeply if he wants to keep it up. "Shouldn't he be _asleep_?"

A pretty little smile transforms Yuuki's face. "Nope! He told me yesterday that he's changing his schedule around so that he can spend more time with us! I felt a bit foolish for asking, but he looked so happy when I did…"

"Damn you," he hisses. Still, because he doesn't want to hurt Yuuki, he spins around on his heel, calls out a quick 'be back in a few minutes' and heads off towards the Moon Dorms.

All the while, he's _not_ thinking about that _kiss_.

* * *

The pureblood takes one last look at his room before closing the door with a heavy sigh. His eyes follow the floor the whole time he walks.

Deep down, something's telling him this won't work. The Headmaster has plans for him – ones that he won't be able to abandon so easily. The nobles won't be able to cope with his disappearance for some time, which is why he should _probably _wait to wean them off of his presence. He doesn't need a messy group of angry vampires getting in the way of the peace that he's for so long worked to achieve.

_But…_

He _has_ to leave. He just has to!

_My feelings for Zero are already too much. I…I _kissed _him!_

And as repulsive as the thought should be, he still finds his fingers reaching up to brush past his lips in a gentle sort of remembrance.

_What changed? The feelings may have always been there, but what made them so impossible to ignore? Why is he the only thing I can think about? Why…_

So lost in his own thoughts, the pureblood doesn't sense the hunter's aura until it's too late. They nearly collide head-on after turning a corner. For one sweet, scary moment, they're left face-to-face, an inch or two apart, _practically kissing_…

The young hunter is the first to pull away. He automatically angles his head away from Kaname's wandering gaze, hoping desperately that the pureblood can't see his flushing cheeks. Scratching awkwardly at the back of his head, Kaname can't help smiling at how _adorable_ the ex-human is. With his cheeks all red, and his eyes all wide, and his lips all parted like that…

"What was it you wanted, Kiryuu?"

"Oh, yah…uhm…sorry," he mumbles, clearly shaken by the encounter. _Where was the disgust? Aren't I supposed to think Kuran's lips are the grossest thing on the planet? _Of course, for reasons he can't decipher right that moment, a thought towards the back of his head is gently urging him to get a little bit closer to those _succulent, pink lips…_

"Kiryuu?" The hunter looks like he's seeing ghosts running over Kaname's feet, where he's still currently staring at rather determinedly. "You wanted something…?"

"Yah, uhm…Yuuki wants you over for breakfast…" Then, the hunter's eyes travel down to the bags at Kaname's side. "But it looks like you're leaving, anyway…" Lilac eyes narrow, letting light to a brief flash of confusion and something else that the pureblood can't identify, before they return to their usual, guarded manner.

"Well, yes…"

"For how long?" The hunter's head snaps up as his eyes assess the pureblood, clearly looking for an answer even before Kaname parts his lips to speak.

"Look, Kiryuu, it's been fun, but…"

"Don't leave! I-I mean…uhm…come have breakfast with us, and then maybe we can go do something! Just…just don't go yet, Kuran. I don't know if what you have to do is important or anything, but I'm really kind of starting to like this whole 'friendship' thing, and…" Damn it. He's already said too much. And acted too impulsively, at that, which, in his eyes, only makes things worse.

Biting nervously at his lower lip, he decides it's the pureblood's turn.

Kaname sighs, seriously hating himself for his lack of willpower when it comes to this particular hunter. Running agitated fingers through his hair, he nods his head. "It wasn't important at all, actually." He looks down at his bags, and decides that he's been much too blind. _Of course,_ he wouldn't be able to leave. He should have seen this coming.

"So, what's for breakfast?"

The hunter smiles, and the pureblood has to smile back.

* * *

Somehow, breakfast goes off surprisingly well.

With Yagari's help, Cross manages to make a delicious batch of pancakes and French toast, a meal that neither Yuuki nor Zero are too familiar with. They were scared at first to try it, but the delighted look that overcame their pureblood friend's features when the food hit his taste buds encouraged them to sample the tasty treat.

Their conversations are simple, but well-mannered, much to Yuuki and Cross' delight, who were both fearful of the hunters' reaction to a pureblood at their dining table. Even after the dishes are cleared and washed, they all find themselves back at the table, joking and teasing like the best of friends.

Even Kaname, who is not at all used to anything so…laid back, finds himself enjoying it. Of course, it may have something to do with the fact that his beloved hunter is sitting right beside him, accidentally bumping their elbows every few minutes or so.

Again, he finds himself missing that kiss – as unlawful as it was. The hunter's lips were so tempting then, and are even more now. He just wants everyone else to disappear, so that he may properly relay his feelings to the stubborn ex-human.

It doesn't help that Zero seems to have a habit of licking his lips.

Zero, of course, is most definitely _not_ having a similar reaction. He throws himself full-force into the conversation surrounding him, even if it's really only Cross teasing Yagari, and Yagari teasing back. Something about it is delightfully peaceful, and it's with a heavy heart that he realizes he may never get to see this again.

Kaname, who would usually set off some sort of switch in his ex-master's brain, is getting along just fine with the one-eyed man. And, for some reason, that thought causes his throat to close a tiny bit. An ache blossoms fully in his chest, nearly knocking him breathless.

_I really am dying…There's no way around it – no way out. I'll never get to see any of them ever again…_

His eyes scan the smiling faces of the people seated around him, and, before he can help it, his eyes smart with tears. Because none of them know of his sentence, he can never tell them why he's gone and disappeared. He's sure Yagari will tell them eventually, since he'll probably be the first of them all to find out, and he can't help but wonder what their reactions will be.

No longer does he doubt their love for him.

A bump to Zero's elbow pulls him from his thoughts, and, from the corner of his eye, he sees Kaname's smile as it practically illuminates the whole frickin' room.

More pains to his chest.

_I'll never get to see that smile again…_

He has to excuse himself to the bathroom.

* * *

Looking expectantly at the Headmaster, Yuuki suddenly smiles, hit with a brilliant idea. "Papa, can we go to the zoo today?"

Excitedly, the Headmaster slaps his hands down on the table, stands up, and giggles in delight. "_Excellent_ idea, Yuuki! Toga and Kaname have never been to one before, have they? Oh, it's such a lovely experience! All the little animals, pressed against the glass with those innocently adorably little faces…"

Yagari snorts, internally desperate to grab hold of whatever manly pride Cross hasn't yet stolen from him. "Not happening, sorry. You all can enjoy yourselves…"

"But _Togaaaaaa_!" Cross whines. "Don't you want to see the animals with me and Zero? Now that I think of it, I don't think he's been to a zoo before, either! You can share the experience and _really _bond…"

"Cross, you're being ridiculous."

"_Toga_, you're being mean! Now stop complaining and _let's go to the zoo_!"

"If anyone's complaining…"

Yuuki giggles behind her hand while watching her beloved pureblood from the corner of her eye. It's safe for her to say that she's never seen him so happy.

Similar to Zero, though, she can't deny the loneliness she sees in those brown orbs. Deep down, she knows that they're good for each other, but she can't help but be a little jealous. She loves her boys, and the thought of having to share…

Well, if she weren't so damn sensitive to everyone else's emotions, she probably would have thrown a royal fit over the whole situation.

_Kaname and Zero…friends…hmm…_

* * *

The splash of cold water that hits Zero's face does little to relieve the strange feelings and thoughts currently making a mess of his mind. Bracing his hands on either side of the sink, he bows his head, takes a deep breath, and tells himself that _he can do this_.

_Just go back out there, Kiryuu. Spend some time with Toga –_ Kaname, too.

The hunter nearly groans at the thought. Of course he has to think, again, of the pureblood currently sitting out in the Headmaster's kitchen – probably fondly examining his precious Yuuki while scheming plans to get them alone.

Yet _another_ ache curls possessively around his heart, a bit less painful than the ones previous but still enough to make him shake.

Of its own accord, his mind races back to the days spent before his sentence. _It just doesn't make any fucking sense!_

The President had no clear reason to kill him! He was good weeks – _months!_ – before the sentence, and hadn't done anything wrong in the terms of being a hunter even before.

Maybe she was giving him what he want_ed_? It was no secret that he once wished for his own death, but _now_…

Was this happening because he was a human-turned-vampire? While it had been years since the incident, and they probably knew about it long before any accidents with Yuuki, maybe they had finally come to the decision to kill the ex-human?

_It doesn't matter, does it? You're dying, anyway. Just make the best of what you have left, damn it!_

But it's not so easy.

* * *

"The _what_?" Zero asks, watching as his ex-master shakes his head, rolls his eyes, and points discreetly in Cross' direction as the man stands on his toes in excitement. _His idea_, he mouths.

Yuuki giggles, Kaname smiles, and Zero frowns. "The_ zoo_, Zero!" the Headmaster exclaims. "The place where magic happens!"

Zero snorts. "You're thinking of Disney Land."

He waves the thought away like it's as unimportant as a fly. "You've never been before, have you, Zero?" His eyes go wide.

"Well, n-no, but…"

"GREAT! Now you, Kaname, and Toga can share the experience together!"

Looking between the two previously mentioned men, the young hunter has a feeling the experience won't go down too well. And it looks like rain. "Eh, what the hell else are we supposed to do?"

Yuuki and the Headmaster simultaneously scream in delight.

Kaname hides a smile behind his palm, doing his best to keep from openly staring at his precious silver-haired boy.

* * *

Zero stands awkwardly off to the side, not wanting to make the first move for fear of upsetting either Yuuki or Kaname. Without a word, Toga slides into the passenger seat, frowning slightly. _The zoo? Where do such thoughts even come from?_

Kaname and Yuuki trail slowly behind the approaching Headmaster, although they aren't talking. Or _touching_, Zero notes, and a wave of relief washes over him, although he's not sure why…The pureblood seems intent with her a few steps ahead, smiling like an idiot and blushing like one, too.

His eyes trail towards said pureblood, and notices, with a blush of his own, that his lips are rather…_pink_. Again, he's thinking of that stolen kiss – the one he probably wasn't even supposed to feel or remember. He has no knowledge of a pureblood's culture, but he's hoping that kissing one before leaving them to sleep is an ordinary occurrence in their world.

_That's the dumbest thing you've ever thought! Now, do everyone a favor and stop lying to yourself! You know you liked it, and you know you want to do it a…_

He squashes the thought before it can get any further, and graciously holds the door open for Yuuki, who turns back to make sure that Kaname's following her. He is, although looking to Zero for…Well, Zero doesn't even know. Nodding his head, though, is enough to get the pureblood to seat himself in the middle – notably, between his love, and his love rival (who isn't technically a rival anymore…).

And then, as Zero slides into the seat beside the pureblood, ignoring the heat that spreads from the thigh that's _nearly touching Kaname's_, he slams the door while wondering just where Yuuki and Kaname stand.

Does Kaname want to claim her as his lover, or is he simply so nice to her because he sees her as a valued friend of his? Is Yuuki in love with him, or is this just another crush? If he leaves them alone for any short period of time, will he come back to find them head-over-heels for each other? Should he even care?

No, but he does.

To make things worse, Yuuki starts talking to him. Kaname smiles, seemingly delighted to be talking to his dear girl, and Zero has to do his best to look away from that smile – the one that he gets so rarely even though he thought him and Kaname were pretty well off in the friendship department. His cheeks flush in anger, and he wishes he could make his brain stop thinking, but it seems to be working double-time today.

If Yuuki and Kaname got together, what would that make Zero? He refuses to play the role of the pathetic third wheel. Was Kaname only being nice to him to get closer to Yuuki? It was no secret that the pureblood lost time with his precious girl simply because Zero couldn't handle it. Were there secret meetings behind his back? Were they _already together_?

_DAMN IT KIRYUU, STOP CARING!_

He wants to scream it out loud, because things to sink even deeper when he does that, but he's worried of what the others would think of him.

Not that they didn't already know about him being some crazy phsyco with a temper that practically defined him.

_Ugh._

* * *

Much to Zero's delight, Yagari and Cross end up screaming much too loud for Kaname and Yuuki to talk under them.

They fight about a lot of things, actually. Yagari claims that they're lost every _ten fucking seconds_, and Cross starts shouting about his innate ability to sense where they're going. No, they don't need a map, actually, because his directional senses are tingling! And then Yagari explodes because Cross doesn't know where the _fuck _they are because he's never been to this zoo in particular, and why the hell didn't he say that sometime _sooner_?

It's a lot of cursing and screaming, but Zero doesn't mind it one bit. As long as it keeps Yuuki's mouth shut.

He doesn't like what she has to say, anyway. She can be disgustingly dim-witted sometimes.

Deep down, he hopes Kaname feels the same.

* * *

Somehow, they make it to the zoo without any casualties.

Yagari's still fuming, though, mumbling rather lengthy strings of curses under his breath.

Kaname can't help but find the whole situation to be quite comical. It's rather obvious that, while their arguments are rather _real_, they're only doing it to turn any wandering noses away from the real path of reason.

Clearly, there's something going on between the two, and, in the pureblood's opinion, it's sort of sweet how dedicated they are to keeping one another safe. Although he's sure that Cross wouldn't care one bit, he knows enough about Yagari to assume that he's the one desperate to keep this all in the dark.

Wether it's a hunter thing or just his sense of pride, he's not sure.

He hopes it's not a hunter thing.

He wants Zero to…

Well, never mind.

He doesn't know what he wants from Zero.

Especially when he's wearing _that_ t-shirt and _those_ jeans – it's like he's trying to tempt the pureblood. The whole car-ride is torturous, simply because he wants to forget the two bickering men in the front and ignore Yuuki's existence while he kisses the life out his hunter.

_His_ hunter.

He can't believe he was actually planning on leaving this morning.

_Pfft._

* * *

Somehow, Zero ends up with Kaname.

He can't remember how it happens – he can barely _think_, right now, actually.

In a fit of pure stupidity, he agreed to come to this. It's his fault, really, because whether or not he came rode completely on his own shoulders, and he went and said _yes_.

Unlike the amusement park, the pathways they have to walk on are a helluva lot more narrow, and people like to weave and run and walk _real_ slow, even if they're not old and don't actually _need_ to. They press close, like they actually _enjoy_ rubbing against strangers, and squeal way too fucking loud about lions and tigers and bears and whatever the fuck else they feel like screaming about.

He'd forgotten his hatred for crowds – how they made him dizzy and how they made his vision get all blurry. It's probably not a very manly trait, but he'd always been careful to make sure it never came out in the open. The only person who knows about it is Yagari, and that happened on accident after a mission took them deep into a crowded city.

Kaname knows nothing about it, which is why, when a massive crowd separates the hunter from the rest of the group, he finds himself following. At first, he doesn't know what to make of the look on the youth's face.

Honestly, the pureblood doesn't even think that Kiryuu is _capable_ of fear.

But, apparently, he is.

His lilac eyes are open wide in shock, and he doesn't seem to really _see_ Kaname. He just stands there while Kaname grabs his hand and pulls him closer – as close as physically possible, actually – and pulls them both through the crowd.

Looking for any open area, he ends up leading them into an area that's still being worked on.

Tarps are hung to protect the unfinished project from rain and, from the looks of it, it's going to start doing so in a matter of minutes.

He shoves Zero under the protective roofing only to find his hunter _shaking_.

Hugging himself and_ shaking_!

Kaname hears bells go off in his head as he lunges forward and wraps his arms protectively around the boy that he'd only recently claimed as his.

They're hidden behind clumps of trees and bushes, so none of the strangers using the walking paths can see them, which he's sure the hunter would be thankful for.

"Kiryuu," he whispers. "Kiryuu, it's okay." Kaname's seen it before – a panic attack. He imagines that, for Zero, it would be ten times worse due to his being both human and vampire. If he holds Zero close enough and gets him to breathe, then it should be over before the worse comes.

"Shh, Kiryu, it's fine. You're okay. Now breathe, okay? In, out, in, out…"

"D-Damn…y-y-you, Ku-Kuran! Fucking…le'go!"

He doesn't, though. "Not until I know you're okay. I've seen what panic attacks can do to humans…Multiple girls have had them whilst watching class change-over."

Is that a…_smile_ he sees forming on his beloved hunter's face?

Something sweet and warm gushes through Kaname's system, and, before he can help himself, he's hugging Zero tighter to his chest – like letting go would mean the boy's death.

Telling himself that it does makes it easier to believe that they can stay this way forever.

Zero doesn't really know that the hell's going on.

A panic attack? Is that what Kaname called it?

Well, _no_. He refuses to believe it's that.

He'll let the pureblood call it whatever he wants, but he knows it's not a panic attack.

More like a…Lots-Of-People-Make-Me-Shake-Really-Bad Attack. What else can it be, really?

So, one moment he was trailing lazily behind Cross, Yuuki, Yagari, and Kaname, and the next, he was being dragged away by the pureblood to some abandoned area of the zoo that was apparently under construction.

He doesn't know what to think.

The worst of the shaking has died down by now, but Kaname still isn't letting go.

Against himself, Zero finds himself inhaling that sweet, _sweet_ scent. It's that same scent that claims him completely when he's about to sink his canines into the pureblood' life blood – which, admittedly, is _also_ smelling rather good.

Vaguely, he can't help but wonder just what it is that makes the pureblood smell so god damn _delicious_. He's tried a million times before, but he can never pin-point it as anything but _Kaname_. It's just _him_.

And the fact that he realizes this scares him a bit, but he doesn't move his face away from the neck it's currently nestled against.

He just wants to think about that kiss from the night before and not have to worry about the consequences.

Kaname smells rain in the air, and wonders, for a brief moment, if he should pull away and lead the search for the party they left behind, but decides against it even as the first few drops trickle slowly from the sky. They're safe under the tarp, anyway.

Besides, Zero's resting his face against his neck, and every breath the boy takes is absolutely one of the best sensations he's ever felt.

He's not shaking anymore, which is a good sign.

The pureblood smiles triumphantly at his ability to break the worst of the boy's attack all by himself – and in such little time, too.

That has to mean _something_, right?

Deep down, he knows this is wrong. The promise he made to his parents all those years ago is not one easily broken, but now, in this moment, he doubts he can ever be happy with Yuuki. He doubts he can even _fake_ it.

He's rather content to stay with his precious hunter – even if he's only ever accepted as a friend.

And maybe it's risky – against every single rule he's ever known – but that matters very little compared to the feelings currently flooding his bloodstream.

He feels warm and safe and happy and nervous and shy and vulnerable, but he doesn't care nearly as much as he should.

He doesn't feel like a pureblood, but that's probably the best part. Well, the best part that isn't the being with Zero best part.

All good things must come to an end, though.

Zero's the first to pull away, mumbling about crowds and people and bastard purebloods. He keeps his head down, so obviously hiding a blush that Kaname can't help but smile at it.

Without thinking, he reaches forward, grabs the boy's chin, and tilts his head so that they're facing each other.

Under the protection of the tarp, they're unaware of the rain. The people rushing past are virtually non-existent, their squeals and laughter barely pushing past the invisible barrier that seems to be enveloping to two vampires.

Kaname doesn't fight the connection. Zero tries, but fails after a half-hearted fight.

"What is this, Kaname?" Zero asks, barely registering the fact that he's just used the pureblood's first name – like he once swore he'd never do. That stupid ache is curling around his heart again, threatening to consume him entirely if he isn't careful.

_One of the last times you'll get to see that face…those eyes…that nose…those lips…One of the last times you'll ever get to see _Kaname_…_

Screw hunter laws. He's tired of being jerked around by the Society, as much as he may love the job. If the President looks down on him for feeling this…Then so be it.

He's done pretending this isn't happening – done pretending it hasn't been since the first time he ever laid eyes on the stupid pureblood all those years back.

His eyes trail upwards to meet Kaname's, and the pureblood sucks in a sharp pool of air to still his madly beating heart – although it doesn't really do much. Those lilac eyes are so soft, so _vulnerable_…

"Whatever you want it to be, Zero," he whispers, hoping to the gods that Zero wants what he wants, too.

"I…Kaname…I want…"

But before anymore can be said, Kaname's leaning forward and pressing their lips together, and it's so much sweeter than the one from last night.

This one shocks his whole system – pushing his heart to gallop at a scary pace.

Kaname's lips are warm and soft and he wants to _taste_ them. He wants to taste _every single inch_ of Kaname's skin. He wants _Kaname_.

The pureblood wraps his arms possessively around the hunter's waist, pulling him closer. Zero gasps and Kaname takes the opportunity to plunge his tongue forward. Someone groans, and their tongues start to slide against one another.

Kaname's never had a kiss like _this_ before.

Zero is probably the single sweetest thing he's ever tasted, and it feels so good to have the boy pressed against him and he can't even _think_ anymore!

He just doesn't want to let go.

Ever.

_It's a feeling that you cannot miss,_

_It burns a whole through everyone that feels it._

**AN: **Heeeh:) Panic attacks AND kissies!

Well, now that I've just finished this, I really have no idea what to think:P This chappie sucks, but it doesn't. (HUH?) I like some parts, at least. Lemme know what you think. Should I re-write it? It's a rushed job, that's for sure, so I might take it back and edit in/out certain parts.

I just wantedtah update for my lovely reviewers:)

Some of your reviews are absolutely adorable, by the way;)

And WHAT do we think of this Yagari/Cross situation?~winkwink~

Oh, and if you're adding me to your favorites/alerts but haven't yet reviewed, I think you should do so now:D Yah, I see how many of you there are…(ehem)

Anyhoo, drop your thoughts/ideas/flames in da review boxies~:D


	8. The Zoo B

**AN: **You're gonna hate me=/

**Chapter Seven: **The Zoo (B) _or_ One of a Kind Mess

_I climb, I slip, I fall, reaching for your hands, but I lay here all alone, sweating all your blood. _–Breathe, Paramore

* * *

Yagari growls in frustration. "You know, Cross, I _told_ you this was a bad idea…"

Kaien Cross pouts, places his hands on either hip, and shakes his head disapprovingly. "Now _where_ can they have gone off to?"

"If you had just listened to me…"

"They couldn't have gone too far…"

"You know Zero has a problem with crowds, right? He's probably having a seizure or something right now…"

"Toga, we've managed to lose all three of our precious children. I'd appreciate some concern for _their safety_, eh?"

"Okay, first of all, they're not _children_, damn it! Second of all, _**OUR**__ CHILDREN_?"

Cross nods. "Well, who else is going to take responsibility for them? All of them have lost their parents, so it's only fair that we adopt them as our own!" He cracks a smile at the thought.

"Kaien, listen to me! Kaname Kuran is a pureblood vampire, Zero is in _multiple_ history books for his skills as a hunter, and Yuuki…well…She's Yuuki."

"How did we even manage to _lose_ her, Toga? She was right by my side!"

The old hunter sighs, hangs his head, and reaches out to grab his partner's hand. "We'll find them, Kaien. We'll find them."

"Oh, I sure hope so…I don't know if I trust Zero alone with Kaname…"

* * *

Zero's in heaven right now.

Seriously, floating on clouds and trailing his fingers through the sky – it feels just like that…only way more amazingly ten times more _trillion_ times more better.

It's like Kaname already knows his body _so well _– where to touch him and how to hold him and how to kiss him in such a way that he's completely boneless and seems to have forgotten how to make use of his lungs.

He's never felt anything like this before, but he's sure – damn near _positive_ – that he'll never find it in anyone else's embrace.

_It's Kaname…always been Kaname…I-I feel…_

But he can't think, because Kaname's doing that _thing_ with his _tongue_ and _OH_…

Before he knows what he's doing, he's pulling the pureblood closer and reaching upwards to weave his long fingers through even longer hair. Kaname groans when he tugs, and the vibrations against Zero's lips seem to travel from their origin to his nether regions in a matter of a few simple nano-seconds.

The pureblood pushes him up against the conveniently placed wall behind them, wondering why it _took him so damn long to do this. _Had he known what Zero's reaction would be, he _definitely_ would have done this a lot sooner.

_Because he's beautiful and perfect and he's shaking and he probably doesn't even realize it and gods, I'm in love with him. I'm in love with the insufferable Zero Kiryuu._

He hopes Zero's in love with him, too.

* * *

Yuuki only ran away from her adoptive father and his secret boyfriend so that she could find Zero and Kaname.

Much to her dismay, though, she can't find them. And it's _raining_.

She knows they couldn't have gone too far, but then she remembers that they're vampires and can move a hellevua lot faster than any of the humans around here.

"I hope they're okay…" she sighs, deciding it's best to turn back around and search out her father and Yagari. Something tells her they'll be just fine, but old instinct has her desperate to find the two.

In the end, though, something just doesn't feel…_right_.

Zero's been acting a great deal differently, even if he's been doing his best to hide it. She wonders if he's okay – if Kaname's okay.

_Something's happening here…_

* * *

Zero's lungs are caving in – he's sure of it.

Not that he gives a care, of course – as long as he dies in this man's embrace, it's all alright.

_But you won't die here, will you?_

He squashes the thought. He needs this. He _needs_ this.

Something's telling him it's not completely true, but he needs to tell himself that Kaname won't care if one day he's just _gone_.

Poof.

It'll be like magic.

The 'Telling-Kaname-The-Truth' thing didn't work out too well the first time.

So, this time, he's not about to waste his time.

He's not going to _think_ anymore, damn it!

He's just going to pull the pureblood as close as physically possible and tug senselessly on the chocolate brown locks that are the silk of the pureblood's hair. He's going to moan and groan and gasp and purr because Kaname can make him do that, and he's going to listen to Kaname make the same noises because _he_ can do that.

And it's fucking fantastic.

"Zero…" Kaname gasps, pulling away but not really _pulling away_. Their lips are still brushing, but Kaname won't let them kiss anymore because he seems to have something important to say. "Let me be the one to kiss you like this all the time, Zero – the _only_ one. Let me hold you in my arms and never let go. Let me be_ yours_."

And he wonders if this is what happens when a person's feelings are bottled up for years and years on end, because he wants to blurt all that – and more – out, too. He wants to tell Kaname that he's always felt something for the pureblood, but they were never so close before, so he only really _knew_ now.

He wants to tell Kaname that _yes_, he will let him be whatever he wants to because Zero _wants_ him to, but something totally different comes tumbling from his lips instead.

"What about Yuuki?" He bites his tongue and looks at their feet instead of at Kaname, because he can't believe he just said that and he's blushing and he's still thinking in ridiculously long run-on sentences.

Kaname sighs, but he's _smiling_. He's looks so fucking brilliant that Zero has to look up just to stare at the perfectly perfect curl of the lips.

Kaname presses their foreheads together – still smiling like a drunken idiot. "I want _you_, Zero, not her."

Because it's the perfect thing to say and Zero wants to kiss instead of cry, he pulls their lips back together and plunges his tongue deep into the pureblood's mouth – tasting every inch of the moist cavern while mapping it all out in his head.

They're both shaking, and Kaname really shouldn't be because he's a pureblood, but he's already accepted the fact that this hunter makes him weak and vulnerable like he's never been before.

Kaname groans when he feels Zero's arousal pressing against his thigh, and he knows Zero's feeling his, too, and he wonders what he's thinking – what's going through his head right now. He wants to pull away and talk about it, because that's just the pureblood thing to do, but he's willing to toss aside instinct for as long as physically possible as long as he's in _these_ arms kissing _these_ lips.

He doesn't even pause to think about things – about how utterly _ridiculous_ this is.

To go from nursing a panic attack to_ this_…Well, it's not something that happens every day.

Had Kaname been in his right mind, he probably would have realized a long time ago that Zero wasn't in _his_.

* * *

It's on her way back to her adoptive father that Yuuki sees it.

Eyes catching the abandoned path before her mind can catch up, she finds herself pushing towards it through the crowd, ignoring the construction signs while desperately hoping for some sort of shelter – her hair's an absolute _mess_!

She sees the tarp first, just because it's blue and stands out against the trees behind it.

What catches her attention next, though, has her feet frozen to the ground.

Now that it's finally happened, she guesses she saw it coming sooner or later. There was always _something_ about the two of them…She can't believe it's taken her this long to figure it out.

_Zero and Kaname…kissing…huh…_

They're really into it, too – practically raping each other with their lips and hands and…ohgoodness…

Yuuki's cheeks heat up because they really are getting a little hot and heavy and she really shouldn't be here, and she's still in shock, so it's not really her fault when she coughs – although some wicked part of her mind is silently cheering for being the one to break them up.

Suddenly, she's angry at them for not sharing their secrets.

* * *

Kaname hears it first, and, while terror grips his heart, he doesn't react for fear of scaring Zero. At the end of the day, Yuuki knowing about whatever this is isn't nearly as terrifying as losing the hunter because of it.

It's when Zero stops kissing him, though, that he wants to kill the girl – or, at least, banish her far,_ far_ away from here.

For a moment, Zero seems too shocked to move. His eyes are locked on something over Kaname's shoulder – presumably Yuuki. His body is stiff, but terror courses through his veins so strongly that the pureblood can feel it just through the remaining skin-on-skin contact.

He, too, is gripped in the fear, but for entirely different reasons. While some small part of him is begging for some hope, the larger, more sensible part of him is predicting the next few moments in what he's assuming is complete accuracy.

No doubt Zero will push him away and run for his life – maybe for good – before turning back around just to tell Kaname that it was all a mistake, and that he hadn't meant it all, and that he only reacted like he had because of 'pureblood magic'.

His heart is breaking in his chest, and nothing has even happened yet. Without really realizing he's doing it, his grip around Zero's waist tightens.

"Yuuki," he sighs. "It seems you've caught us."

Zero's shame hits him, forcing him to let go and take a step away.

The hunter looks torn between fury and sorrow.

"Y-You…"

"Zero, think rationally, here…"

Lilac eyes widen in fear and confusion. "It…it's K-Kiryuu to you, Kuran…"

Kaname feels his throat close around tears. How long has he waited for this moment? How long has it taken for it to be stripped away?

Anger swells dangerously inside of him. Curse Yuuki and her foolish, human stupidity. What was she thinking? Could she not have walked away like she'd never seen anything in the first place? Why was interrupting them so necessary? And why did she look angry, herself?

The negative emotions in the air are stifling.

He spins to face her, intentionally blocking Zero's escape in the process. "Yuuki, what are you doing here?" As hard as he tries, he can't hide the venom in his voice. This may be Yuuki he's talking to, but it's Zero he's trying to keep.

Her eyes widen a considerable amount – like she's shocked at his anger. Suddenly, she feels incredibly uncomfortable. "I-I came to find you guys…uhm…Headmaster is concerned…uh…"

"Was it necessary to interrupt us, Yuuki?" He feels Zero stiffen behind him, but ignores it.

At the end of the day, Kaname is still a pureblood. Bits of kindness and soft-hearted smiles aside, he's got the instinct of a brutal monster, and keeping it in check during such situations is a lot harder that one would think.

Even if it's Yuuki.

When she doesn't answer, he asks again, desperately struggling to keep some sense of control while feeling it slip from his fingers. Does she even know what she's done? A pureblood's balance is too easily thrown off – everyone will feel it. _The weak shall perish…_

Groaning softly, he runs shaky hands through his hair. _Why was I so foolish? Letting go like that…_

"Yuuki, please take Kiryuu home."

Her eyes widen in shock – this time for reasons entirely different and a bit more reasonable. "But, Kaname…"

"Please don't argue with me, Yuuki. Clearly, he does not wish to be here. I'll find my way home home – don't you worry." And his voice is back to that sweet, candy-coated tone that he always uses around his dear girl.

The girl he's meant to be kissing like he was just kissing the hunter.

The girl he's meant to love and cherish and adore…

Stepping back, he watches with a heavy heart as Zero makes his way into the rain, if not a bit hesitantly.

He angles his head as if to look behind him, but, clearly thinking better of it, he sucks in a deep breath and shoves past Yuuki, mumbling something about keeping up if she doesn't want to get left behind.

Desperately, she tosses another concerned remark in the pureblood's direction – blind to the anguish ready to boil over if pushed to a certain degree. "It's raining, Kaname! You really should come with us…"

He smiles, and it's enough for her. It always is. "Just go, Yuuki. For me?"

And it's too much for her – he can feel her distress as it hits him with a disgustingly strong force. She wants to stay, she wants to go – it's all too much.

Her expression softens the slightest bit, though, and he knows he's won this.

* * *

With some effort, Yuuki manages to catch up with Zero. His legs are much longer, thus rendering her steps a great deal shorter than his, but she's able to latch onto his shoulder and keep a firm enough grip to hold him still.

"Zero,_ talk_ to me…"

In a fit of ridiculously misplaced rage, he shrugs her hand off, shouts, "Fuck off, Yuuki!", and walks away – past the place where Yagari and Cross are waiting.

She sights dejectedly, hating herself just a bit more. This is, after all, all her fault.

* * *

Zero doesn't know where he's going. He's never been here before, and he doesn't have a map to help him find his way – to where, he doesn't really care. He only wants to get as far away from all of this as possible. Away from Yuuki and her stupid little pureblood crush.

In fact, he never wants to see either of them ever again.

And Kaname's probably walking back with Yuuki, sharing a laugh and offering to buy her whatever her heart desires. "_Oh, I don't know_," he'll say. "_He was just there, you know? I even made it seem like I cared! Oh, silly little hunter. Clearly, all I've ever wanted was to use him. You know I like sex, don't you, Yuuki?_"

It's a ridiculous thing to think, simply because Kaname Kuran would never be caught talking like that – to Yuuki or anyone else, for that matter.

But that doesn't stop the rage or the pain or the blind fury or the tears that he only now realizes he's probably been crying since the moment they were caught.

_How foolish have you been, Kiryuu? To think that someone like Kaname would care for you? Not only are you a hunter, but you're an _ex-human_! You deserve this death more than ever…_

And maybe it's stupid to think like this, but he doesn't care. He just wants to grab his gun and end it all himself, because he really doesn't think that he can handle a few more days.

Maybe, when no one else is noticing, he'll steal a hug from Yagari, but then he'll be gone – this time for good…

And he can't think anymore – he really can't. He can't breathe or see straight and he just wants to _punch_ something and it's not fair it's _really really_ not fair because he didn't mean to fall for him he really didn't it just happened and now he's…now he's…

His knees buckle beneath him, and his body crumples to the ground.

He's vaguely aware of people screaming and crowding around him, but he doesn't care because he can't _think_ anymore and it's so blissfully sweet…

* * *

…_foolish…no good…off…leave…home…ways…let…_

Although Zero can't see anything, he's able to catch bits and pieces of whatever conversation is going on around him. The voice isn't clear enough to know who's speaking, but it's warm and familiar and manages to sway his frantic mind into a dreadfully false sense of calm.

Who cares if he's kissed Kaname?

It was pleasant. Absolutely fantastic, actually. His body has never felt more alive, and, looking back, he can't ever remember a time in which he'd felt so safe.

Kaname's perfect, beautiful, and hopelessly cruel.

And it doesn't matter that Zero wants more of those kisses and that embrace and _Kaname_…

He's dead in two days.

Still, he hopes Kaname knows. Even if the pureblood is much too good for him, even if he was supposed to be just another notch in the headboard - he hopes Kaname knows just how much he felt for him.

How much he _feels_ for him.

Such a secret longing, kept safe in his heart and barely noticeable even to himself until it was already too late.

He hopes he stays like this forever. Maybe, if he's lucky, this is what death will feel like.

Gods, he hopes so.

He can't be angry – it's like all the pain in his life has finally subsided, and it feels so _damn_ good. Forget losing his parents and not knowing where his brother is, forget being an ex-human, forget the fact that he's dead in two days – _he just kissed Kaname Kuran_.

If he could smile, he'd be doing so.

* * *

It's taken a lot to get Yagari, Cross, and Yuuki away from Zero, but, with the help of some of his more…creative powers, he's managed to convince the three that all is well, that Zero's just sleeping off a cold, and that he can get them home in one piece.

"No, no, headmaster, I've got it all under control. You three stay and enjoy the rest of your day. I have ways of getting him home; don't you worry."

"Really, Yuuki, he's _fine_. Just a bit sick is all – with all this rain, how can you be surprised?"

"Of course I'll keep him safe, Yagari. I promise."

When speaking to Yagari, Kaname had the vague sense of something being amiss. The old hunter seemed to look at Zero as if it was going to be one of the last times he'd have the pleasure, and he made sure to let Kaname know that he'd be checking in on Zero later. He assured Kaname that it had nothing to do with his fear of the pureblood harming his ex-apprentice – he was just used to looking out for the boy, and had a nervous time letting him off with someone else.

Of course, none of that would have been said without the use of his powers, but it didn't stop the creeping sense that something was off with Zero, and that even his old master could sense it.

He hadn't meant to knock Zero out – it just sort of…_happened_. He was horribly upset over the situation, and, because the source of his anguish was Zero, he was hit with a forceful wave of power that Kaname could no longer control.

Thankfully, the surrounding humans didn't seem to notice the strong brush of power, and, instead, rushed to the fallen teen's help. Had Kaname not intervened, his precious would have been shipped off to a hospital – which would have had multiple consequences, he was sure.

So, now that Zero's in his arms, he can bring them both back to Academy grounds and say what needs to be said, even if the young hunter doesn't want to listen.

Screw his destiny.

He wants _this_.

* * *

Upon opening his eyes, Zero's heart goes into over-drive.

He's been in the room once before – when the hunger was too much to bear and he had no choice but to retreat to it.

The pureblood's scent is all over the bed, scrambling his common sense the tiniest bit. Instead of pulling away, he snuggles closer against the pillow, loving the scent and not even bothering to feel guilty or upset over it.

_Kaname…_

"Enjoying my pillow, Zero?"

The hunter freezes, ice coursing through his veins as realization hits him. This isn't a dream of any sort…he's _really_ in Kaname's room…and Kaname's_ really_ here.

Fuck.

"Why am I in your room, Kuran?" he asks, not bothering to look up but choosing to instead bury his head further in the blankets. He doesn't need to see Kaname to know that he's standing at the foot of the bed – presumably waiting for an invitation to join the hunter.

Well, he'll never get one.

"Call me Kaname, Zero. I think it's time we still those silly traditions of ours."

Icy waves roll from the pureblood, indication his unwillingness to argue.

What a perfect opportunity. "Answer the question, _Kuran_."

The room gets colder, and how Zero manages to avoid looking up is a mystery to him.

"You passed out at the zoo. I brought you home."

"What about everybody else?"

"I assume they're still at the zoo. I didn't want to spoil their fun, so I called my driver and had him bring us home."

_Of course. _Kaname is a pureblood. In the course of their newly-developed and recently destroyed friendship, Zero has forgotten that one important fact. He has riches and power and everything that Zero _doesn't_.

_Such a fool…_

"You seem upset, Zero. Are you thirsty?"

"Like hell I am!"

Denying it doesn't stop the itch at the back of his throat – the one demanding that he stop all conversation by jumping on the pureblood and eagerly taking what isn't rightly his.

"You're exhausted. A panic attack and a fainting spell – that'd make me hungry, and I'm a pureblood."

Again with the truth. Zero's really starting to get sick of the ache that he's so recently taken to associating with the pureblood.

"That doesn't mean I'm hungry, Kuran. Now, if you'll please leave…"

"This is my room. You have no right to kick me out."

"Kuran, just…"

"_No_, Zero."

The room is absolutely _freezing_.

"Kuran, what do you want from me?" He doesn't want that question answered, but he has to ask it. _All these years…_

_Do you not see what you're doing to me?_

"I want you, Zero. I'm done playing games with you. I'm done telling myself that it isn't right, and that I should want for anybody else. _You_ are…"

Suddenly, the hunter's rolling out of bed, anger lighting his features and so easily masking the pain that would otherwise be evident. Seeing Kaname does something to his lungs, making it near impossible to breathe, but he doesn't back down. He locks eyes with the pureblood and dares to make his anger evident – regardless of how it will leave him in the future.

_I've got so little time._

"Let's get one thing straight, Kuran. I'm not some little _whore_. You won't find me shamelessly flirting with you or begging on my knees for something that I don't even _want_. What you do is _disgusting_, and I won't let it touch me. I like to think I have a bit more pride than that! I'm not like that receptionist back at the springs, alright? I wanted a friendship, and, for some reason, you took that as the cue to _use_ me. I won't let that happen – not to me. Not with you. I just _can't_."

His chest is heaving with the sobs he refuses to let loose, and his throat is tighter than it should be. This should be where the weight slides from his chest, but it only presses harder. It's choking him…

_I've wanted this for so long._

He sees Kaname's pain before his mind can really register it, and he swears to the gods that his heart stops.

"So I'm just another _whore_ to you, Zero? Is that it?"

"Kuran…"

"Do you have any idea what I've been through? Have you any idea of what people _demand_ from me? It's not a _choice_, Zero!"

"It sure didn't look like the receptionist was anything but." He hates himself for saying such a thing, but it's true, and he's tired of keeping these things locked away where nobody but himself can see or feel them.

"She was _anger_, Zero!" Now, Kaname's pleading desperately, but he doesn't care. He _needs_ Zero. Needs him more than anything. _Anything_. "You had me so frustrated…"

"And what about Yuuki, eh? What you have with her seems to be a bit more than friendly. It's flirting if I've ever seen it! Do you want in her pants, too, Kuran? Is that what this is all about? Using the people who care about you?" His voice hangs somewhere between angry and broken, and the pureblood notices.

His own voice takes a gentler edge. "No, Zero. _Never_. That is not what that kiss meant. Zero, I kissed you because I wanted _you_, not your body."

The hunter's cheeks flush red before he takes to staring at the carpet. "I never asked…"

Before he can register that it's actually happened, Kaname's standing in front of him, much too close for comfort.

_You have to understand…You _have_ to…_

"Why are you fighting me, Zero?" They're so close that, when he speaks, the words brush sweetly over Zero's lips.

He wants to lean forward. He wants this to stop. He wants another kiss. He wants to run away.

He wants Kaname to decide for him.

Kaname reaches a slightly shaking hand up to Zero's cheek, smiling the tiniest bit when he doesn't pull away.

And this is so messed up and so rushed and this shouldn't be happening – not now.

Not when everything is falling apart and Kaname doesn't even have the nerve to realize it.

And Zero wants him to. He wants the pureblood to fix everything – to find the President and demand that Zero lives or she dies or _something_ like that so that he doesn't have to leave everything that he's ever loved behind so soon.

But that can't happen.

"K-Kuran…" he whispers, not knowing what to do or say but _wanting_ to do and say _everything_.

"Please, Zero, call me Kaname."

And then they're kissing, and it really shouldn't be happening because they both have their futures and it's an impossibility for them to be together, but it' so sweet and _too_ sweet and why would they ever want anything else?

_Do you love me, too? _

The kiss is chaste and simple, but it lasts for what feels like hours. Everything melts away until it's only them – even when they pull apart and Kaname pulls at his shirt collar.

"Bite me, Zero. You know you need to."

He does, but not just because he's hungry.

He needs Kaname to know this.

So, instead of savagely attacking the offering before him, he wraps his arms around Kaname's waist, turns them around, and pushes the pureblood onto the sheets.

Before he can protest, Zero crawls on top of him, straddling his hips and shaking so much that he fears another fainting spell.

And Kaname looks so beautiful with his hair in waves around his face. His eyes are wide with confusion, but Zero doesn't miss the hesitant trust that's starting to form as well.

He leans forward and places a delicate kiss against the offered neck. "I'm sorry, Kaname – for everything."

One more kiss, and he's drowning in the bliss of it all – knowing that, this time, it at all means more.

It's always meant more.

_If I could find out how_

_To make you listen now_

_Because I'm starving for you here_

_With my undying love._

* * *

**AN: **And then you're gonna love me again!:D

Personally, I really like this chapter, even though it was a bit shorter and kinda rushed.

I'm just happy that they're coming to terms with everything:3

Oh, and, also…ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS! WOOOOOOOOOOO~!

Major point in my life right there, ladies and germs:D Thank you all soo much, and please, please, please keep up the good work:) It inspires quick updates (or, quick in MY opinion) like this one:D (this wasn't supposed to be out until, like, next week:P)

Oh, and, as some of you may have noticed, I'm trying out review responses!:D At first, I couldn't figure it out and just sent a few personal messages, but then I found the REVIEW REPLY BUTTON! If you haven't gotten a response, it's just cuz I've been super busy, and you guys review at the most random times:P

I'll do my best to kick it up into high gear this time!

Also, the chapters (as you'll notice) will start to have legitimate titles rather than _The Zoo_ or _Roller Coasters_. Some will have two names cuz that's just how I roll:D

Reviewwww!


	9. Scissors To My Throat

**AN: **For those of you who've been checking up on my profile and updates, you'll know why this sucks so much.

Listen to_ I love you more than you'll ever know_ by NeverShoutNever. It fits (well, almost...)

* * *

**Chapter Eight**: Scissors To My Throat (or The Zoo Part C)

_Oh, I know that I am here, and you are there, but we still have our love. -_I Love You More Than You Will Ever Know, NeverShoutNever

Kaname's blood is sweet enough to drive a man insane with want.

Had Zero not free access to the rich crimson life that was Kaname Kuran, he probably would have fallen to Level E status a lot sooner than possible, simply because this blood _drove him crazy_.

Not only is it the best thing he's ever tasted, but it's one of the only times where he can actually _feel_ Kaname, and not just in a physical sense. Every emotion, every desire…They flood Zero's senses and drown him in a sea of perfection.

And Kaname's pressing them closer together and making those adorable little noises in the back of his throat and Zero can _feel_ his arousal and he knows he's getting there, too…so he stops.

He doesn't want to rush anything.

No matter what he's always told himself, no matter where he came from or who he is, he can't deny that Kaname Kuran is the most precious thing he's ever had the opportunity to love.

Zero Kiryuu loves Kaname Kuran.

As he pulls his fangs from the pureblood's neck, he finds himself torn. Now is no time to be stitching together relationships, no matter how desperately he may want one in particular. His more rational side is screaming at him, telling him that two days is not enough time to convey what it is that he wants Kaname to feel, too.

He doesn't have the time to make the pureblood love him, which is why he has to make up his mind right now.

Either run from him and hope that he doesn't come looking, or stay with him and hope that he feels it, too.

In a moment of utter and complete insanity, he chooses the latter.

Before either of them can say anything, the hunter brings their lips together.

This kiss is different than the one before. Its fire and passion and _longing_.

Forget going slow and making things sweet. Time is running out for Zero. He has to let Kaname know before it's too late.

Smiling into the kiss as Kaname moans, he plunges his tongue forward. Their tongues collide for a moment, both of them battling for dominance, but the hunter eventually wins and surges forth into the warm cavern that is the pureblood's mouth. They both let out delicious little moans as he takes his time mapping out the familiar areas in his head once again.

The pureblood's hands weave into his hair as if to bring them closer, even when they're already as close as physically possible.

He uses the hand not holding him up to weave into the soft, silky tresses that are Kaname's hair, and melts at the sounds that escape from his lips just from doing so.

As if unable to help it, Kaname thrusts his hips forward, forcing their clothed and aching erections to touch and creating a whole new world of sensations in the process.

He aches so terribly for Zero.

This isn't like any other position he's ever been in. He's never been so close to just_ begging_ for it, even when some part of him is screaming that _something's wrong here; it's all going too fast_.

And maybe it is, but he won't let those thoughts win. Not now. Not when he finally has the hunter in his arms, moving against and gasping for _him_.

His breath is ragged in his lungs, and it feels _so good_.

_Too fast too fast I'm so sorry I'm so sorry too fast._

Zero bites down on Kaname's bottom lip before moving his hands to start undoing the buttons of the pureblood's shirt. Tiny gasps, pants, moans – more kisses.

Yet another reason to be thankful for vampire genetics?

The speed.

He has the pureblood's shirt off in a matter of seconds and doesn't even bother to watch where it lands as he tosses it somewhere away from where they are. As if on their own, his hands start trailing invisible paths over the smooth, porcelain skin that covers the lean chest and torso of the pureblood.

_His_ pureblood.

_You'll understand you have to understand please understand I'm so sorry._

He pulls their lips apart with a small sigh, looks at Kaname's closed eyes and swollen lips, and feels his throat clog with emotions that he really shouldn't be allowed to feel during such a moment.

_One of the last times I'll ever see…_

His lips are on the pureblood's nipples before he can think or cry or scream or do something he shouldn't.

Kaname arches his back, pressing closer against that tongue. Zero's clearly inexperienced, but it feels nice to have a virgin sloppily covering his body with fevered kisses. It feels fresh, like a new beginning.

Besides, that tongue is doing funny things to his brain, making it impossible to think clearly.

_Zero, you are just too precious…_

A sharp sigh is torn from his lips when the hunter sucks hard on one of the hardened nubs, grazing it with his teeth and looking up at its owner with a sneaky smile and bright eyes.

The need to take the lead is damn near impossible to fight away, but he _needs_ to keep calm for Zero's sake.

He hates his pureblood instinct.

Damns it to hell, in fact.

And then Zero pulls away, only to move to the other one, licking and sucking it just the same.

Kaname finds that his lungs are suffering from a major lack of oxygen.

It gets worse when the hunter's fingers start trailing lower, past the purebloods navel and resting lightly against the waist band of his trousers.

Then, he's hit with a thought.

One so tiny and pathetic that it really shouldn't change things, but it does.

_Zero hasn't been himself._

_Zero is not the same._

_Something's wrong…_

_Something's not right…_

"Zero, s-stop!" He reaches down, grabs the hunters wrists, and, with a pureblood's speed, he pins the boy against the mattress.

Lilac eyes are wide with confusion, searching out answers in Kaname's features. They stare at each other for what feels like hours, letting their desire die down with every ragged breath that's torn from their bruising lips.

"I want this," the hunter whispers, his voice a desperate whisper. "I want you, Kaname. Why are you…"

"Stop talking, Zero. I need you to listen, okay?"

Pain cracks through whatever other emotion he's trying to convey, but the pureblood can't let that get to him. Not now, when whispers are creeping across his skin in warning, telling him that something's not right with his precious hunter.

He'd been too lost in Zero to notice it sooner – trying to build up a friendship and then a relationship that wouldn't crumble like it had so easily at the zoo earlier that day.

But, now that he has time to breathe and rearrange his thoughts, he can see and feel the slight thrum of sorrow and fear that runs beneath the youth's skin.

"Zero, what are you hiding from me?"

Kaname's desperate for an answer. If this hunter is in danger, if he's breaking from the inside out, then Kaname will do whatever it is in his power to stop it.

When the hunter's eyes roam away from the pureblood's face, he ducks his head and presses their lips together in a light, lingering kiss. "I want this, too, Zero, but don't you think we're moving a bit fast? Tell me what's hurting you. I'll take care of it."

The hunter's eyes glimmer with hope, but only for a few seconds before all those barriers come crashing back down, blocking anything and everything from the pureblood.

_I can't tell you. I can't risk you getting hurt by this, too._

"Zero, _tell me_."

_It's selfish of me to hope that you can save me from this._

"Zero, please."

Without really thinking about it, the hunter raises a hand to the pureblood's cheek and smiles when he leans into the touch. "I can't tell you, Kaname. You have to understand. I can't let you get involved."

Panic swells dangerously around the older vampire. His aura is so large and obnoxious that Zero nearly chokes on it. "Damn it, Kaname! Calm _down_!"

"_Tell me_." His voice is venom – dangerous and threatening towards what he doesn't even know.

Zero toys with the idea of telling the pureblood. No doubt the man would put rational thought second and attack the President without so much as a second thought. He'd hurt whoever came between them and make sure that the President either learned a massive lesson or never saw the light of day again.

Zero can't let that happen.

The pureblood would, no doubt, be attacked himself. Hunters from all over the world would catch word of it and, even if the Society had a new President by that time, they would do whatever possible to see to Kaname's down-fall. It would be a mess. A bloody, unnecessary mess.

Even if the need to tell the pureblood is distracting, he can't do it now. Not when Kaname's seconds from killing both of them with his rage.

Zero lets his eyes soften and takes a deep breath, hoping to convey calm, even if he's feeling anything but. "I won't ever let you become a part of this."

Kaname's anger is evident, threatening the life of even Zero if he's not careful.

Their eyes lock.

Zero's breath hitches.

"Can I _convince_ you to tell me?" the pureblood purrs. Their lips brush and Zero groans, a sound that inspires Kaname to grind his hip against the boy's newly-forming erection. He won't push the hunter, but if it's the only way…

"Kaname, no!" he groans. He tosses his head back, breaking their brushing lips apart and leaving his neck for the pureblood to ravage. "Damn it…"

"Hmm. I think you meant to say _yes_." The pureblood bites down on the youth's neck, no doubt leaving a bruise and making it even harder to resist the urge to _seriously_ bite. He won't, though. Not now. Not when he knows that Zero isn't ready for it.

Zero hisses and arches his back before bringing his hands to tug at the pureblood's beautiful, silky locks. He can't let this happen, not if Kaname expects an admission at the end.

When he thinks about it, the fact that Kaname's so willing to use sex to his advantage, when Zero's a virgin, himself, kind of hurts. It only proves his previous suspicions.

He means nothing to this pureblood.

"Zero, stop doubting this," Kaname growls, seeming to have read the boy's thoughts.

The hunter gives him a startled glance, which he soothes with another quick nip to his neck. "I can feel your doubt. I can taste it on your skin."

The hunter inhales. "What is this, Kaname?" It's funny how their topics of conversation change so drastically, but it's almost nice to think that they can at least talk about the serious things without backing down.

"I've already told you, Zero. I _want_ you."

"In what way?" He tries his best to ignore the way his voice quivers.

Burgundy eyes soften in understanding. "In _every_ way." The older vampire reaches for the hunter's hands and intertwines their fingers. "I want to hold you, take care of you, kiss you, bite you, _love_ you."

"W-we wouldn't work…"

"And why not?"

"People won't like us, Kaname. The Society will do everything in their power to make sure it doesn't happen, and, well, I can't really speak for vampires…"

"It's a good thing they don't have a say in it, then, isn't it? Zero, you have to understand that I don't give a _damn _about the Society or the Senate. They can burn in hell for all I care. As long as I have you, _I don't care_."

"You don't mean that. What about Yuuki?"

Something seems to shift, and, much to Zero's dismay, Kaname pulls away a bit, leaving it impossible to kiss the man without leaning forward.

"She is of a different matter, I'm afraid."

"And you yell at _me_ for keeping secrets. Damn, Kaname, every time I think I'm getting closer…"

The pureblood drags his eyes away from Zero to stare at the sheets surrounding them, as if for the first time realizing where he is and who he's with.

"Yuuki is our only problem, and she may not be as easy to sway. In regards to her, I can't honestly say that I don't care."

There is sorrow in the vampire's words. "Do you love her, Kaname?"

He nods. "Very much so."

Zero's hopes shatter. He has so many questions, but he fears the answers that may come with them. Sure, Kaname wants to hold and bite him and whatever else, but he _truly_ wants Yuuki. From day one, Zero's had the suspicion that they were meant for each other, and how rude of him would it be to get between them?

He leans forward and pushes hard on Kaname's shoulders, only to have the bastard not budge a bit. "Kaname, do me a favor and _move_."

"Why are you so angry, Zero?"

"I'm not! Now move!"

"Do you not want to be with me?" His voice is a sweet, pathetic whisper, and it hits Zero's heart with the force of a thousand bullets.

_Of course I want you, but I can't let myself get caught in your lies._

"You want Yuuki, remember?"

The confusion that settles over Kaname's features is way too believable as he fixes the hunter with curious eyes. "I do not want her, Zero. I want _you_. Have I not said it enough?"

"You just said…"

"Yuuki is…nothing more than a sister to me. She does have my heart, but I want _you_ to have it. I can no longer say that I'm happy being tied to her."

Zero raises his eyebrows. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Kaname smiles, and it's all Zero can do not to kiss him again. He desperately needs this situation to make sense, and he doesn't care if takes him all night because of how cryptic the pureblood tends to be, he's _going_ to understand it. He's not the only one keeping secrets.

"How would telling you be fair when you keep your secrets hidden from me?"

The hunter snorts. "My secret is way more…er…_secret-y_ than yours. You just wouldn't get it."

The older vampire's smile widens. "And that, Zero, is why _I_ cannot tell _you_."

"Fine. Whatever."

After a moment of silence, the hunter is relieved to find the pureblood's hand resting over his own, although he'll never admit it out loud.

It makes his own death seem years away, like being with Kaname is the trick to immortality. He hates to think it, but he wants this to work _so badly_. His heart aches at just the _thought_ of Kaname ever wanting to leave him.

_But, in the end, _I'll _be leaving _him_._

And it's this thought that has him squeezing the pureblood's hand tighter before throwing it all to hell and pulling the other man into a tight embrace.

Startled at first, Kaname doesn't move for fear of scaring the youth, but when Zero's only reaction to that is to pull them closer, he takes that as a sign and wraps his arms protectively around the boy that he's now determined to make his in every way possible.

Yes, he loves Yuuki, but not like this. He doesn't feel as if his whole world revolves around the beat of her heart or the thrum of her pulse, or that he'd fall apart if she ever decided to leave.

Her heart may as well belong to another man with how little he cares for her now that he finally has Zero in his arms.

_Finally…_

_**Finally.**_

* * *

After a long over-due bit of cuddling, Zero slowly pulls away from the comforting embrace, blushing in embarrassment at having been so weak.

This causes Kaname to chuckle and kiss him lightly on the lips.

The hunter's heart jumps at the delicious contact, so he pulls the pureblood closer and deepens the kiss. Before long, their tongues are intertwining and fighting for dominance.

Zero sighs happily.

They're a roller coaster of emotions – always have been, he concludes. Hatred and anger have become something beautiful, untouchable, perfect.

He never wants to leave this warm embrace or these sweet kisses. He never wants to live a day without this desire.

He figures his body must be glowing. It certainly feels that way.

Especially when Kaname pulls their lips apart and presses fluttering kisses against his jaw, neck, and collarbone.

The young hunter bares his neck without so much as a second thought, not at all concerned about being bitten. Even if the pureblood were to do it, which is highly unlikely given the trust that's formed between them, he doubts he'd mind so much. The way Kaname responds to it makes it seem an exciting activity; one laden with pleasure and longing.

He wonders what it would feel like – to have those familiar fangs penetrate his neck and suck greedily at the crimson substance that flows so freely through his veins.

He wants the pureblood to like it so much that it takes a great effort to stop. He wants to Kaname to shake and tremble in his embrace while taking from Zero the one thing he'd never considered giving away before. He wants to give his entire being to this beautiful pureblood.

He'd give his life if there wasn't already a claim on it.

His hands shake as he brings them up to cup the pureblood's face, pulling the man away from his neck with a quiet sigh. "Kaname?"

"Zero?" His voice is a ragged whisper, wiping away whatever left-over fears the young hunter may have had. He just wants to give himself away to the one person who will treat his life with care.

"Bite me?"

The pureblood's eyes widen. "You aren't serious?"

A small smile brightens the youth's features. "I am."

Kaname's breath comes out in small pants as the urge nearly destroys him. His eyes flare crimson and, much to his delight, Zero's smile widens. The hunter tilts his neck in anticipation, causing for quite a pretty sight.

Zero is beautiful. _His_ Zero is _beautiful_.

_I will let no one take you from me. After this, you will be mine forever._

"Zero, do you know what biting you will do?"

More smiling. "I'll live forever."

"You will be connected to my life, Zero. We'll share blood and, yes, you will live forever." This is true, as long as the boy doesn't go and get himself attacked by anything anti-vampire. "Do you still want this? To stay by my side, as my _lover_, forever?"

Tears well in the hunter's eyes as he nods, unable to use his voice as the emotion practically strangles him.

Something tells him that this is what he's always wanted. To be a part of something so beautiful…

Kaname ducks and presses a soft kiss against his lover's pulse before tracing the area with his tongue. His breath hitches in anticipation.

He bites, and Zero's body arches against his.

The pureblood has to fight to keep his eyes from rolling back in his head. His senses are attacked with pleasure as the sweet liquid runs over his taste buds. He savors it before every swallow, drowning so happily in a sea of Zero. Emotions of all kinds swirl through his system, too fast to pin-point their owner or what, exactly, they are.

Zero moans as both pain and pleasure still his senses. He presses their bodies closer, desperate to become one with this beautiful man. His fingers weave through the pureblood's hair without him realizing it as he pants and groans into the pureblood's ear.

It's too good.

Too perfect.

It's so un-like the bite from Shizuka Hio.

It's almost too much.

_Kaname…Kaname…I'm sorry…I want this so bad…I want forever with you…but I can't…I _can't_…_

"…Zero?"

His body is trembling with sobs as he struggles to keep himself conscious. Kaname, he figures, may have taken a little too much blood.

"Did I hurt you?"

Long fingers press against his cheeks as the pureblood's desperate questions practically float over him.

He can feel it, now. It's small and easy to over-look, but its there. A small, thrumming presence in his head – one that doesn't really belong to him.

His body feels heavy, as if he's just come back from a hunt that went well into the night.

The desperate urge to stay with Kaname nearly knocks away the need to sleep, but he's way too tired to give it anymore thought.

As Kaname's lips part to form more words, the boy's eyes close and his mind falls victim to the darkness, that faint, glowing presence fading unwillingly along with him.

* * *

Kaname felt Zero's pain curl greedily around his own heart as the hunter's last few words rang through his skull. _I want forever with you, but I can't...I can't…_

He pulled away as quickly as possible; only to find his precious falling away in reaction to how much blood the pureblood had accidentally taken.

Now, he's staring down at that sleeping face, shaking with regret and confusion. _What did this mean?_

Would Zero want to leave when he woke up? Was this all just a giant mistake?

_What have I done?_

* * *

"Kiryuu? Why _him_?"

The secretary raises her eyes curiously towards the President, who is sporting a disappointed frown as she over-looks reports of the day's previous hunts. "He cannot keep fighting forever."

The secretary purses her lips and adjusts the glasses sitting at the tip of her nose. "He's trying, isn't he? Doesn't that count for something?"

"Why do you even _care_?"

She sighs. "He's one of the best hunters this Society has ever seen. If he can fight it – even for just a few more years – then who are we to…"

"I'm keeping our best interests in mind, here."

"Tell me the truth."

The President drops the pages on the table with an exaggerated sigh as she glares at the young girl sitting across from her. "Won't it be that much harder for us to kill him when he's finally fallen?" Her voice quakes with emotion. "A lot of people are still on his side. What will they do when faced with the task of killing him as a Level E?"

The secretary grabs the reports, smiles softly, and stands up to leave. "Well, President, it seems we are finished for the night. All of the reports have been read and checked. I'll see you in the morning, then."

"Wait a minute…"

"Good evening."

* * *

Yuuki slides into the back seat, eyes drooping and body worn from all the walking. Yagari and Cross chat quietly in the front as they fasten their seatbelts and turn to make sure that hers is together as well. Their words are sweet mumbles of hidden care and adoration.

She smiles and turns her attention to the window, where the night sky starts to pass by slowly as they pull away from the parking lot.

Today had been a mess.

A pretty, pretty mess.

She honestly hadn't meant to interrupt Kaname and Zero, but irrational fear and confusion had caused her to act without thinking. It was safe, too, to say that she was jealous, but her own feelings fell second compared to those two.

Instinct had pushed her to do it. Something wasn't right.

She had only wanted to save them from getting hurt.

Because, for reasons that she is too tired to dwell on, their pain seems inevitable if they keep this up.

* * *

**AN: **First order of business: I need names for the President and her lovely secretary (both are girls:P) They play/ are going to play big roles, and I want them to have proper names. Whoever gives me the best two names wins a free virtual hug:3

Second: I'm sorry if it's crap. These past two weeks have been...er...difficult. I'm kind of in a suck-y mood, and it's making me want to give this story a sad ending:P After talking with the lovely **Amaya Ishimoto, **I've decided to write both a happy and sad ending for this story and, then, depending on how i feel on the day I decided to update...Well, I think you get the point:P It's a game of chance, people. (Reviews on either side will most DEFINITELY influence the final chapter posted;)

Third: BAND. ugh. It's starting back up, and I really only have, like, ten days left to write before school. Marching band is surprisingly demanding:P It steals summer vacations.

Fourth: Wish me luck. Tuesday, I'm off to see the person who broke my heart:/

Review, please?


	10. Dances Around the Matter

**Chapter Nine: **Dances Around the Matter

_The world is lazy, but me and you - we're just crazy.-When I'm With You, Best Coast_

**AN: **You'll love me, hate me, and want to push me over a cliff:)

(it's not as graphic as I would have liked, but smut just isn't my thing:P)

**WARNING: **somewhat graphic maleXmale relations. don't like? well, you can just BACK. IT. UP.

Light filters through the darkness, a welcome companion when one is lost in himself with no clue as to what's just happened. He's aware of the beating of his heart, but nothing else registers. In the dark, he is only able to follow every healthy beat, for thoughts don't seem to be allowed.

Frustration builds beneath the surface of his skin, although he doesn't know where it starts or where it ends. He has no idea as to where it came from or why it's there, but he can feel the annoying thrum in the air – like electricity pulsing through the sky.

The need to wake up, to open his eyes, is strong.

But his eyes are_ open_, aren't they?

He doesn't know.

If he could scream and curse, he'd be doing that right about now. The words are there, but he can't form them. Like his tongue and vocal chords no longer exist.

Like he's stuck here and has no clue as to how to get away.

* * *

Kaname paces the room, making a point to shut the curtains as he does so. The sun seems brighter than usual.

Again, his eyes roam towards the bed, where his precious hunter is still out cold. His silver hair is tousled after a long night of tossing and turning which, Kaname figures, probably came from the youth's desperation to escape the darkness and _just wake up_.

The pureblood closes his eyes and searches his mind for that one tiny part of Zero that he now gets to keep, only to find it dark and cold.

An agitated growl lets loose from his lips as his aura pulses dangerously through the room. A lamp falls from one of the tables beside his bed, but it barely leaves a dent in his thoughts as he continues to trace the floor with his steps, thoughts of Zero scaring all others away.

He knew when to stop, but it was just _so_ hard. Zero had tasted beautiful – more so than words can properly describe.

Kaname had gotten lost in the feel of it all. As a pureblood, the need to make the hunter feel useless, weak, and vulnerable played a massive part in not pulling away fast enough. The more he took, the more of Zero he got to see. Deep down, he knew that if he dragged up enough of the youth's past, he'd have been able to reduce the boy to a pathetic scrap of ex-human.

This, really, was why he ended up pulling away.

Along with Zero's quivering words, irrational fear shoved instinct to the side.

He only wants for the young vampire's happiness.

It's all he's ever wanted.

Even if it's taken him this long to realize.

Yuuki's there, too, skirting around the edge of his thoughts and demanding entrance, but he doesn't want to give it. Not to her.

So, when he's more than sure that Zero isn't waking up any time soon, he slowly crawls onto the bed, careful not to jostle the mattress too much in his attempts to get closer to the boy. He lays down facing the hunter and wraps his arms around the youth's waist, pulling him so that his silver head is resting against Kaname's chest.

The pureblood presses gentle kisses into the familiar tresses, inhaling the scent that is pure Zero.

His eyes travel over soft, pale skin, delicate lashes and sweetly parted lips. They stop at the place where the boy was bitten – the marks already gone. He's not in any way hungry, but the sweet memory of the boy's blood is almost impossible to resist.

He sends a silent thank-you out towards his parents – wherever they may be – thanking them for teaching him the art of patience.

Thinking of them pains his heart, but he has to face the facts. His parents are dead. _Dead_.

They can't come back and force him into a marriage that he doesn't truly want.

Besides, if he really thinks about it, the possibility of the pair being upset with him for choosing love over duty seems quite silly. They were both free spirits, and had only assumed that the simple crush he and Yuuki shared as children would later blossom into something later on in life. It had, but only for a brief amount of time.

Even now, Kaname can't be too sure that Yuuki's feelings run as deep as she, herself, seems to think.

_It doesn't matter, anyway. I love Zero. Madly, so. I'm never letting him go._

Unsurprisingly, tears spring and trail slowly down his cheeks as he continues to watch his precious sleep. There's no doubt that love is shared, but he knows Zero too well. He won't be surprised when the boy doesn't show up for a date or refuses to get married. He won't get upset when Zero runs away – only to come back as if nothing had ever happened in the first place.

He knows there'll be jealousy – a fair amount of it, too. And fights. A lot of them.

He doesn't mind one bit. As long as he gets to be the one to call Zero '_his_'. As long as it's just the two of them – like it should have been from the start.

Again, he's too lost in the feel of things to realize – with what would otherwise be perfect pureblood clarity – what exactly is happening to the man he loves so much.

So weighed down by the emotions is he that he can't even see his lover falling to pieces – slowly and with _so much pain_.

* * *

Zero starts coming back around when something completely unsettling stirs throughout the darkness – choking him with a ridiculous intensity.

A bright light flashes; resembling a lighthouse calling its ships with the way is spins through the black. It calls his name, but not in a way that's heard – but _felt_.

Slowly, he starts to regain feeling.

His fingers twitch as his arms move around in an attempt to figure out where he is and why. His legs move in the same fashion. He realizes, then, that the darkness is what's held behind closed eyes, and that the light calling to him is the part of Kaname that Zero is lucky enough to keep.

_Kaname…Kaname…Something's wrong with Kaname…_

He opens his eyes with a gasp before grabbing the pureblood's face in his hands and kissing the tears away. "You've been crying…" His voice is hoarse but understandable as he pulls the pureblood into a comforting embrace – still not quite himself and acting on instinct alone. "Why?"

Kaname returns the embrace as a sob is choked from his throat. He feels so welcome in these arms – so _safe_. It doesn't matter that he's the all-powerful pureblood and that Zero's the lowly ex-human – he knows that the hunter would die for Kaname. The part of the hunter that he gets to keep confirms this statement, flaring and spreading warmth throughout the entirety of his body.

"Don't worry over me, Zero. Are _you_ okay? You scared me…"

Zero smiles. "I'm just not used to having my blood taken, I guess. I'm fine, though. Although I'm a bit hungry…"

Before he can stop it, laughter curls from Kaname's stomach. He's never felt this way before. So perfect, so happy, so loved…

When the laughter stops, he brings his face up before the hunter's, where he then goes on to kiss the boy with a delicious hunger.

Maybe he should be fretting over the boy's health, or maybe he should be kissing the hunter a bit more gently. He has, after all, just woken up from hours of an unwanted, un-asked for sleep.

But when Zero's tongue brushes past his bottom lip, demanding entrance and earning it instantly, his worries fly out the window.

He pushes the boy back and straddles his hips – letting himself lose it for the sake of getting to show Zero just how much he loves him.

Sex was never really worth his time – just a quick trip with someone of little importance who wanted it for this or that reason. Zero, he knows, is quite the opposite. Kaname can feel the awkward, almost teenage air as it bends willingly under the pureblood's experience.

It's exhilarating, really, to know that he's about to be Zero's first.

His first and _only_.

"Zero, do you want this?" He asks because he has to be sure. Wanting something and then getting it are two completely different things. His only hope is that the boy's arousal isn't the only thing responding when the hunter lets out a ragged "yes".

So, with gentle hands, he lifts the boy's t-shirt over his head before returning his lips to their previous position against the other's. Their bodies are shaking with both longing and fear.

Zero's never been in this position before and, technically, neither has Kaname. In many ways, this is the pureblood's first time, too. The first time it's ever meant anything, the first time it isn't just for personal gain, the first time he actually _wants_ it.

He pulls their lips apart, only to brush them across the hunter's jaw and over his heavily pierced ear. "_Zero_…" he whispers.

In response, his silver-haired beauty arches upwards, bringing their naked chests together and moaning from the contact as their nipples brush innocently. "_Kaname_…"

"_Mmm_."

The pureblood places gentle kisses against where the boy was bitten – his own arousal heightened when he earns a crazed gasp in response. He uses his tongue to trace lazy circles over the area, practically purring in delight as Zero moans and squirms beneath him, causing their bodies to brush in the most exotic of ways.

So slow that it can only be described as torturous, the pureblood drags his lips down and over Zero's collarbone. His breath hitches in anticipation while Kaname's mouth hangs over one of his peaked nipples, blowing warm air over it as he breathes.

"Damn it, Kaname…"

Moaning with satisfaction as it happens, the pureblood finally takes the pink peak into his mouth, growling possessively while Zero squirms restlessly. He lets his fangs graze the area teasingly before sucking hard against it. Zero whimpers.

The hunter's scarred hands swirl enticingly over the pureblood's back while, at the same time, apply enough pressure to keep their bodies touching.

Kaname's body shakes from the thrill of it all. Never before has someone touched him like this – with fingers like feathers that trace lines and circles reminiscent of a tenderness far beyond any he's ever known. Slowly, and with the intention of returning the sweet affection, he runs his own, seemingly flawless fingers over the beautiful structure of his lover's torso.

He makes the touches light as he marvels over how god-like the hunter really is. No doubt, he had many suitors, regardless of his negative mood and pessimistic views. He's just that beautiful.

"Gods, Zero, do you even _know_ what you do to me?" The words ghost smoothly over pale skin.

A low moan is torn from the boy's throat as he grabs a fistful of Kaname's hair and roughly pulls the elder vampire's head forward until they're face-to-face. "Why don't you show me?"

And then they're kissing and it's rough and beautiful and passionate.

Of course, it's all new to Zero, - who hasn't ever touched or been touched so intimately – but he's quick to catch on. Although it goes unnoticed by the boy himself, he's remarkably talented when it comes to intimacy. Every touch, every kiss – is surprisingly and pleasurably _perfect_.

Kaname can't honestly deem any other of his bedmates as so purely talented.

In a flurry of motions too fast to be caught by the human eye, their pants are un-done and carelessy tossed to the side.

Still, the cloth of their boxers is too much, and the friction they create while wearing them isn't nearly enough. Zero moans in frustration while the pureblood grinds against him in disgustingly slow circles.

Again, the pureblood is attacked by tiresome worries. This time, though, he won't let them win. He will fuck the hunter senseless; until the both of them are dead tired and left without a worry in the world.

To put it bluntly.

"Oh, Gods, Kaname…" Zero pants, the small part of the pureblood that he gets to keep flaring hotly in his own mind as their passion manages to engulf the room with its fiery aura.

"What, Zero? Tell me what you want."

The hunter's lilac eyes are too laden with lust to look menacing, but Kaname can feel his embarrassed anger as he does his best to glare. His only response is to chuckle amusedly and brush their noses in an innocent show of affection.

Their erections brush, dampening the fabric of their boxers even more as they fight the instinct to throw all caution to the wind and go at it like bunnies.

Beneath the lust, though, is the need to make it special, and above all else is the love that flares hungrily beneath their slick skin.

Their bond makes every whispered word feel like a seductive scream in the ear, which only adds to Zero's embarrassment as Kaname's body shakes against his own laughter.

"'S not funny," he grumbles. "And I'm not…not telling you…you know."

"Hmm. Do I, Zero? Do I _really_ know what you want?" He nips suggestively at his lover's ear. "Maybe you need to refresh my memory?"

"No…ah! I-I really…don't…"

He's cut off by a near painful suck at his neck. "What were you saying, again?"

"Damn purebloods…"

"You don't mean that."

"I _do_."

Kaname growls before ripping off Zero's boxers – _without any warning_.

He pulls away to sit back on his heels and admire all of his love's beauty.

His body is lean and well-muscled. His skin is pale and glowing – a pleasant contrast against the dark room around them. As to be expected, the boy isn't lacking in anything below the waist, making for a sight more beautiful and tempting than any of the high-class vampires that Kaname is used to.

Surprisingly, he finds that he can no longer breathe. "_Beautiful_…"

The youth's face flushes as he fidgets, uncomfortable beneath the pureblood's enchanted stare. Of course, he'd planned to be naked before the pureblood at some point but, now that it's happening, he wants nothing more than to cover his exposed manhood.

When he moves his hands to do so, Kaname pins his wrists to either side of his head with a hissed, "Don't!"

His breath comes out in ragged bursts as their eyes lock.

Then, with little regard to his own insecurities, Zero wrestles his hands away and slowly reaches down to hook his fingers through the waistband of Kaname's boxers. "Why don't you tell me what _you_ want?"

The question nearly blows Kaname away. No one has ever before asked him that question with the silent, burning promise to give it to him so sincerely.

He ducks his head so that their lips are just barely brushing, his heart a merciless tempt locked up tight in his chest. "_Touch…me_…"

And Zero does so.

Of course, his fingers are shaking, but to wrap them around something as pleasant to think about as Kaname's cock wipes aside most of his fears.

Kaname sighs shakily, the sensations bombarding every aspect of his being. When the hand wrapped securely around him starts to move up and down, it's almost too much to handle.

Zero watches the way the pureblood loses it in awe, all fears shoved aside by the delicious way the elder vampire responds to his touch. The lovely emotions that flit across his features make the act seem almost innocent.

The pureblood bucks against every solid thrust, whimpering and biting his bottom lip as if to keep from outright screaming. Sweat dots his brow as he focuses on keeping himself from coming completely undone – which is proving to be a losing battle.

He has to stop the hunter because, really, this isn't how he wants it to end. "Zero, s-stop…I don't want to…"

The hunter cocks a curious eyebrow, but pulls his hand away with one final, rough slide of his palm.

Much to his horror, Kaname finds himself blushing.

Who knew how much such a simple, in-complete hand-job could affect him?

When he opens his eyes, Zero is anxiously worrying his bottom lip; his eyes alight with lust and cautious expectancy. "Was…that a-alright?"

Kaname's only response is to moan and, once again, ravage the younger's mouth. He loves the way Zero tastes; sweeter than candy and with an exotic, almost spicy bite that drives his pureblood instincts absolutely crazy.

When Zero's bare cock brushes past Kaname's own, boxer-clad one, he arches upwards in an attempt to increase the contact.

He doesn't want the touches, the bites, or the kisses to ever go away. He only wants this moment, right here, to last forever. In the pureblood's embrace, what is there to fear?

Kaname makes him feel safe and confident and deliriously happy all at the same time.

Without a doubt, this is where he belongs.

With the man who is currently trailing kisses and bites down his chest, stomach, and hips. He swipes a torturous tongue centimeters above where Zero most wants it to be, chuckling sneakily when the boy awkwardly pulls himself half-way upright, his upper body kept up by his elbows. "Kaname? What are you…"

His eyes widen when the pureblood takes the tip of his cock into his mouth, sucking expertly and fighting the urge to off his own self when Zero moans rather loudly against the electric silence of the room.

The pureblood takes his sweet time pulling the rest of Zero's manhood into the moist heat of his mouth, but Zero is too far gone to even care about anything that isn't the swirl of his lover's skilled tongue – ignorant to the speed and placement of said tongue.

Already, he's close to the edge. He probably shouldn't be watching, but, when their eyes meet, it's more beautiful than erotic, and he's overcome with the urge to really _be_ with the pureblood. He wants nothing more than to be in Kaname's arms while they…

Kaname pulls away quickly; sensing the changes in Zero's hormones as their scent nearly blows Kaname off of the bed.

While leaning in for another kiss, the pureblood rips his own boxers off. Zero will admit that it's a bit odd to be kissing the man who just had his cock in his mouth, but he won't complain. It's still one of Kaname's kisses. It's still perfect.

Their naked lengths brush, and its pure ecstasy, but Kaname needs to be careful if he doesn't want to come too soon. Even with centuries of well-stocked patience, it's hard for the pureblood to keep it all in when Zero's the one he's rubbing against.

He pulls away for half a second, using the time to grab a small bottle from the table fitted conveniently beside the bed. He's careful to select an un-used bottle – not wanting to scare the young hunter away by forcing him to realize that this isn't Kaname's first time.

Zero swallows nervously, more than aware of what's in the bottle and what it's for. A part of it makes his body twitch with anticipation, but the other, shyer side of the situation has him quivering with nerves.

It's common knowledge; he knows this will hurt, but what if the pain is too much and he ends up embarrassing himself before the man – or vampire – of the dreams he didn't even know he had? He can't screw this up. Not when Kaname means the world to him.

The boy's nervous aura is obvious, but, rather than scaring Kaname off, it only entices him further.

It's exciting, really, to be the one about to give the only gift that money can't ever buy. Sure, Zero can run off and fuck whoever he pleases, but Kaname knows that this is different. Sure, it's the boy's first time, but it's what isn't so technical that's making this special in more than one sense.

This is love.

Pure and magnificent. Untouched, unaltered…

They can't breathe or think.

They can only hope that this is forever.

They can only lose themselves in the rush of it all and hope that, when they wake up, they'll still feel so blissfully lost.

As Kaname uncaps the bottle, smiling reassuringly at his lover whilst fighting the urge to cry from the joy that courses sweetly through his veins, he has no doubt that, when he wakes up with Zero in his arms, he will feel no different.

"Are you ready, Zero?"

* * *

Mari taps a finger to her chin, staring off into space as the President shuffles through the papers carelessly littering her desk.

To say that the Zero Kiryuu situation is bothering her would be an understatement. The young secretary lost sleep over it the night previous, unable to shake the feeling of unease the settled over her thoughts after speaking with Masako before retiring to her quarters for the night.

Really, it makes senses to execute the boy.

While he may not be one for a few years, the mere thought of ever being threatened by one of their own is quite a scary one. Mari can see the sense of it all, but that doesn't stop the creeping sensation that what they're about to do is wrong in more than one sense.

"Tomorrow's the day," she mentions, casually enough to hide her fears but demanding enough to steal the focus of her beloved President.

Masako frowns and nods slowly. "Mari, we've already had this discussion…"

"I'm not fighting you. I'm only warning you that others might."

"I'll deal with the rebels when the time comes. It should be no worry of yours."

"Hmm. Yes, yes, I know. Still, it's my job to worry for your safety. No doubt, there will be threats cast in your direction."

The President smiles. "Then I will threaten them back. Simple, really. Think with your head, Mari." She taps a finger to her temple, chuckling lightly at what she's assuming is her secretary's lack of sleep. "How about you leave early? Catch up on some sleep?"

Mari sighs, adjusting the glasses settled at the tip of her nose before shaking her head. "_Never mind_."

Her eyes drift towards the clock.

She wonders if the hunter is already on his way, or if he'll wait until later the next day to show up.

_10:43pm_

* * *

Yuuki runs into the kitchen, arms flailing and mouth wide open in shock. "Zero isn't in his room! He. Isn't. In. His. Room!"

When the only reaction she receives is a sneaky smile from the Headmaster, she pouts. Yagari watches his (not so) secret lover from the corner of his eye as he munches on a piece of burnt toast. "Are you not worried, Cross? This is the second day the boy hasn't been to his room." By shoving the concern at Cross, he's hiding his own.

No one needs to know how soft the man really is.

The Headmaster shrugs, still smiling as he peels an apple at the counter. "I'm sure he's fine."

"What about the pureblood? He hasn't been around, either. Maybe they're…with _each other_?"

Cross chuckles. If has any answers, he isn't giving them. "Such a silly idea, Toga!"

Suddenly, the truth smacks them all across the face.

"Ah, _hell_!"

"Oh…"

"You seem surprised?"

* * *

Zero's dreams aren't nearly as sweet as he had hoped they would be.

They're of blood and gun shots and secretive smiles and abandoned ware houses and tears and ticking clocks and…

"What time is it? Kaname, what time is it?"

He can't open his eyes.

_Why is everything so dark?_

There is no answer. Kaname doesn't answer him.

_Kaname? Where's Kaname? _

"It's time, Zero."

_No…_

_Not now. Not yet._

"Open your eyes, Zero."

_I had a whole day left._

_Unless…_

_How long was I out for? Why didn't Kaname tell me?_

"Wake up."

_They can't do this! _

_Not now Not now Not now Not now Not now Not now Not now Not now Not now Not now Not now No No No No No No No No No_

And then his eyes are open, and it's Kaname's face that he's seeing – not the cruel and beautiful one of the Society's President.

He practically melts into the embrace the pureblood has him in, even if the eyes watching him are wide and worried.

The pain that rips at his chest is too much to bear.

"Kaname? When I passed out, after you bit me, how long was I out for?"

"Zero…?"

"I need to know, okay?"

The pureblood's worry increases until his fear is the only thing Zero can feel. He welcomes any fear that isn't his own. "You slept well into the next day…"

Everything breaks.

_No…_

_No…_

His eyes follow the wall until he's staring at the clock, and his heart breaks where it beats.

_11:51 pm_

Nine minutes away from his own death.

Tick.

Tock.

* * *

**AN: **YAAAAAY!:D

~congrats _Ashemark Ruiede_! Your name choices were BRILLIANT!~

I'm thinking...(maybe) two more chapters and an epilogue? ONE more chapter and an epilogue? I DON"T KNOWWW.

Okay, sooo, do ya understand what just happened here?

When Zero passed out after Kaname took his blood, he ended up sleeping almost entirely through his sixth day.

make sense?

I don't have much else to say, other than that I, once again, will not have enough time to respond to reviewsD:

School starts up soon:C

Of course, that doesn't mean you get to stop reviewing. mmm-mmm nope!:D

You review ALLLLL you want!


	11. The Saved

**Chapter Ten: **The Saved

_This time, won't you save me? Baby, I can feel myself givin' up. - Nicki Minaj, Save Me_

Zero's body shakes while being held in the arms of his lover. His breathing is ragged. His vision is blurred by fuzzy white dots that dip and swirl through his line of sight, succeeding in disorienting him as he fights to search out Kaname's face through the haze.

Every time he does, his eyes revert back to anything that isn't the pureblood.

Like even his body knows that it's time to distance himself from the elder vampire.

His mind knows that its best; that he should get dressed and leave, but his heart won't allow it. It's attached to Kaname in every possible aspect. It bleeds for his presence, begs for his touch, and secretly longs for his love.

_How can I face this without him?_

He almost wants to tell the pureblood – to beg him to come along and fix things.

But that wouldn't be fair.

Not to the president, not to his fellow hunters, not to all of the other almost-Level-E's that had to die before him.

His only hope is that Kaname will understand, and that he won't be too upset when he finds that Zero is no longer able to return back to his expectant embrace.

Still shaking, he grabs Kaname's chin in his hand and pulls their lips together. At first, the pureblood's too worried to kiss back, but he can't deny Zero. _If it will make him happy…_

Zero does his best to become one with Kaname without actually doing so. He pushes his mind out towards his lover's, where the two meet and flare with warmth.

He wants to push Kaname back into the sheets and ravish him with little concern for anything that isn't them.

But he can't.

He never can.

Pulling away from the kisses, he whispers, gently, "_I love you, Kaname_."

The emotions hit him like a tidal wave, and it's almost too much to take. Tears trail wet paths down his cheeks, glimmering softly against what little moonlight manages to enter the room through the cracked curtains.

"I have _always_ loved you."

And then he goes on to whisper something different.

The word that falls from his lips is old and powerful. It pushes electricity through his veins and tickles his tongue before sparking out before him and flashing before the pureblood's fearful eyes.

"Ze-ro?"

The pureblood falls to the side, so deep in sleep that he won't wake for hours.

Much too late to save his lover from death.

* * *

Zero leaves the room as quickly as possible, zipping the fly of his jeans while running down the stairs. Sobs rack his body as he realizes that every step he takes is another towards his doom and another away from his love.

The bond is strong, but he can fight it.

He can keep moving.

He has to.

Despite every thought he's ever had over forgetting the Society, he owes it to his parents to stick with it to the end.

_Kaname will understand._

He tries to ignore the sharp pains that slow him, but with every step comes a new ache. He nearly smiles over how silly it is – to be so sore from something so beautiful. It doesn't seem real.

His fingers latch onto the handle of the door that will take him far from this place, only to find that it's the hardest thing he's ever had to do.

If he really wants to, he can stay with the pureblood, reverse the spell, and pretend that nothing has happened. He can easily enough wipe aside that part of the elder vampire's memory. Kaname will save him, regardless of debts owed and lives at stake.

He can stay and lose himself in the love that he once thought he didn't even deserve.

Sure, the next few months would be hell, but with Kaname at his side, he could do anything. They could even run away. Far from Cross Academy, far from the Society, far from the Senate, far from anything that wasn't the two of them and their love.

They would be okay.

Using one hand to wipe away the tears, the hunter throws the door open and lets it close with a soft '_click_', leaving the dorms dark and haunting.

_Kaname will understand._

* * *

Masako's fingers drum a steady, nervous rhythm against the side of the chair as she watches the door with anxious eyes.

Already, the midnight hour has come and gone. Surely, Zero wouldn't keep them waiting for too much longer. The boy was used to these sorts of things; he knew what would be expected from him.

Standing off to the side, Mari nibbles nervously at her fingernails, eyes bouncing from clock to door to president.

Still, that sense of unease is a heavy burden to bear – stronger now than ever before.

With it comes a great sorrow; one that eats at her heart and mind until she can hardly stand another moment in this room laden with tension and unwashed of spilt blood.

This is her first time viewing such matters. Of course, as a secretary, she wasn't even needed, but insistent begging on her part had forced Masako to succumb to her wishes.

Her breathing is ragged with nerves as her eyes continue to dance around the room. She doesn't miss the guards standing off to the side – guarding windows and doors with stony faces. Some of them, she's sure, aren't happy to be here. They all knew the boy; had spoken with him on more than one occasion. While his near-vampire status was one to fear, hunters were often able to admire the boy's strength and determination in fighting off the monster.

Not only that, but they took great pride in being able to call him one of their own.

No doubt, he is one of the strongest the Society has ever seen.

_So why must we do this?_

* * *

Yuuki tosses and turns beneath the sheets, succeeding in kicking them off as she whimpers through the nightmares.

_Blood, blood, so much blood…_

Her screams tear through the night, reaching no ears.

Yagari and Toga are sleeping in the Headmaster's quarters; too far away for them to hear the muffled shouts coming from the girl's dorms.

And her prince, the man whom she rightly belongs to, is lost in a sea of spell-induced sleep. He cannot wake to save her; cannot wake to save Zero; cannot wake to save all that he has ever loved.

As he sleeps, tears trail down his cheeks.

Finally, everything makes sense.

* * *

His steps are slow.

The closer he gets, the farther away he is from everything he's ever wanted.

Now is the time to remember all that he cannot keep – to let himself fall away from the world and land in his memories.

But he can't.

Those memories are strong enough to pull him away from this place, and that can't happen.

He needs to face this.

His pride will not suffer.

His heart, though, is another matter altogether.

No doubt, before the bullet even pierces his flesh, it will break and crumble; forced to become dust along with the rest of his body.

The doors swing open of their own accord.

He can't back down.

He can't run away.

He can only die.

* * *

Masako smiles, unable to stifle the pure joy that comes from seeing her silver-haired hunter walk through the doors. Beside her, Mari stiffens, but the young secretary is the least of her worries. Right now, it's only her and the boy; no one else even _exists_.

Her eyes follow the guards as they swarm the youth. They lock cuffs to his wrists and ankles. Of course, any ordinary hunter would be able to break free from the metal bindings, but these have been doused with magic strong enough to keep even a pureblood _vampire_ from breaking free.

Or so she thinks.

She stands up gracefully, brushing long, red locks over her shoulder as she steps from her chair and closer to the accused.

The guards step aside.

"Zero Kiryuu," she whispers, almost in awe of the sight before her. To lock one of the Kiryuus up in chains – _ha!_ She'd go down in history for this one. Her fingers reach for his chin, where she grazes them smoothly over the gloriously pale skin. "How does it feel, Zero? To be so weak?"

He doesn't answer. He only looks at the floor, tracing blood stains with his pretty eyes.

Masako is not a mean person. Ask any hunter. She is not cruel or overly demanding. She does what is needed and speaks with a sweet resistance. She is not the person standing before the Kiryuu boy, smiling like a witch prosecuting a human for performing magic.

No, this is the woman wronged by human-turned-vampires.

Her own husband ravaged by the plague of vampirism and forced to die by her own hand.

The gunshots still play tricks with her mind; sounding off even when she is alone in the quiet of her chambers.

She cannot let Zero live because she knows of what pain living as a Level E can put people through.

She knows his sorrow better than even he does, it seems.

"I am saving you, Zero." This time, her words are whispered against the shell of his ear as she fights back impending tears. "You are precious to this Society, and I really do favor you above others. You…remind me of someone I once knew."

Again, there is no response from the quivering boy.

Where is his strength, his wit, his _pride_? Was it lost in his past, where even he could not save it? Was this the _real_ Zero Kiryuu?

"Have you said your goodbyes?" she asks. "Many people have loved you, I'm sure."

And with that, she gets tears. Soft and innocent as they roll down his cheeks. Pure beauty.

Mari, the guards, Masako – they can't keep their eyes off of him.

"Are you ready to die, Zero?"

* * *

Her body sags against the brick-lined walls of the buildings that she's forced to use as her guide as she stumbles down the path, closer and closer to where she wants to – no, _needs_ to – be. The pain of every step is nothing compared to the strange urge that comes with every footfall. She needs to be in his arms. He is the only one good enough to wipe the blood from her eyes.

Hearts connected, minds in sync – she should have known from the beginning.

She belongs to him, and him to her.

She is not some useless, pathetic scrap of human. No, she is something beyond the sweet face and sugary words.

But those thoughts don't settle her mind.

Everything is wrong – _off-balance_.

This was never how it was supposed to be.

She isn't even supposed to be awake, but the electricity in the air was just too strong to ignore.

Everything swirls before her, resembling a pretty painting washed away by bloody water. Crimson taints every corner of vision. She is lost in a sea of red.

But she will make it, even if it kills her.

* * *

Despite what Zero may think, Kaname is not lost in darkness.

Instead, he is forced to understand without being able to fight what it is that now makes so much sense.

From this sleep, he cannot wake.

Zero didn't know what he was doing when he did it, of course. He was sure that his hunter's magic would affect him like any regular vampire, but their bond and Kaname's vulnerability had caused for an even more drastic spell.

One that put him to sleep while seeing everything through Zero's eyes.

It's like a dream, but he isn't naïve enough to believe that's all it is.

Emotions ranging from pure agony to pure terror rip through his heart every time they rip through Zero's, making it impossible to stop the tears the fall from the pureblood's resting body.

He can feel himself, creeping along the edge of the young hunter's thoughts.

_This can't be happening._

He can't be losing Zero, not now. Not after finally making the boy _his_…

The pain is too much to handle.

Surely, after this, he will have no more reason to live.

Without Zero, what is there to hope for? To _work_ for?

_Yuuki_…

No, he can never love her like he's loved Zero. It would be impossible to keep his own happiness while seeing to Yuuki's at the same time.

His own death would be for the best…

Because, against all odds, he wants the hunter more than anything he's ever pined for. Because he loves the man, and he won't let death ruin things. Not for them.

It almost makes him happy.

_Almost_.

* * *

The gun is polished to perfection.

It doesn't fit the President, though. She's too soft; with her red hair and blue eyes.

Women like her shouldn't have to hold such cruel weapons.

Zero watches her, mesmerized so much by her sad eyes that, for a moment, he finds himself not thinking about Kaname.

What is it about him that makes her so angry one minute and so sad the next? What was she talking about when she said he reminded her of someone she once knew? Was there more to the story than he knew, or was he just looking too far into things?

No matter the answers to any of those questions, the President had liked him at some point; favored him, even.

It's such a silly thought that he actually has to smile.

The Kiryuus were always a rowdy bunch – even before his parent's time. Presidents never took too kindly to their attitudes, and often only acknowledged them for their superior skill and nothing else. His parents, he's sure, would have been honored to have a son with such a…_noble_ status.

The thoughts are gone as soon as they come, though, because he'll never really _stop_ thinking about Kaname.

He'll always have those lips on his and those fingers ghosting over his skin and those eyes looking straight through his soul and that voice breaking him and making him _and it's all too much but I have to I have no choice I have to but he'll understand…he'll…understand…_

And he's crying – his whole body shaking from the pain.

Who knew the world could be so cruel?

Already, his life was a mess. Why could he not get – and keep – the one thing that fixed every mess and made him feel _whole_ again?

Despite the tears, the gun does not fall.

The hands holding it shake but do not change direction.

_Because Zero Kiryuu must die._

_He is a threat to all that I have worked for._

_His pain will never cease._

_He will Fall._

_He will Fall…_

_Don't let yourself think that he won't._

* * *

Yuuki barely makes it.

But she does.

"Ka-name?"

Her voice is pitched with fear.

"Wake up, Kaname."

* * *

Mari can't help the tears that slide down her own cheeks.

The young hunter is helpless and broken.

He cannot fight or run or hide or speak because it's not allowed – never was.

Already, he's broken all the rules.

He should have died a long, _long_ time ago.

But the dread is overpowering. It wraps its cruel arms around her frame and does its best to shake some sense into her, but she can't – _can't_ – fight the President's order. She's only just a secretary, after all. It doesn't matter that she and Masako are friends; her voice has no power over these people.

* * *

This was never how it was supposed to be.

This pain was never supposed to come.

If only the pureblood had minded his own heart and stuck to the plans made for him.

* * *

"Zero Kiryuu, you are being put to death by the mercy of this Society. By killing you, we are saving you the long – and _painful_ – transition from human to Level E vampire."

* * *

Kaname runs, ignoring the voices telling him that it's too late.

That Zero's already dead.

That he's always _been_ dead.

* * *

Zero looks up and notices, through his tears, the sadness in Masako's eyes.

The eyes that tell him: _This is how it's supposed to be; how it was always supposed to be. You are a doomed man, Zero. This is not your fault._

* * *

Yuuki feels the power coursing through her veins – unable to accept it but past the point of denying it.

Everything is brighter, _clearer_.

* * *

The trigger is pulled.

* * *

Mari falls back; her head smacking against the floor as her eyes roll back into her head.

Glass shatters around them as the windows burst from their frames.

The guards scramble towards their President, but she does not move.

Tears stream down porcelain cheeks as she stares at the place where the boy once stood. She cannot let herself look down for fear of what she may see, but the blood…It poisons the air with its bitter scent as hands push and shove her away. Their screams of fear do little to break her from the nightmare.

She doesn't even hear the screams of fury and anguish as they rip through the night from somewhere outside.

They are loud, piercing screams, and they send the guards running with their hands covering their ears.

"I'm…sorry…"

* * *

Kaname bursts through the building, shattering bricks and bending metal and probably hurting people but he doesn't care because Zero's there and there's blood and blood and _so much blood_.

It's through a haze that he tosses the woman holding the gun far away. He doesn't take the time to understand the situation.

He can only drop to Zero's side and cry out as the sorrow tears holes through his heart.

_This was never how it was supposed to be…_

* * *

Zero does not feel pain.

He does not feel cold or lonely or scared.

He does not feel sad.

Not anymore.

But he does feel Kaname.

He feels him _everywhere_.

In the air, on the floor, on his lips, in his hair, in his lungs, on his tongue.

Wherever he is, _Kaname_ is.

And it's beautiful because he never thought he'd get to see the man again, much less be _held_ by him. He hopes Kaname will hold him forever. He hopes he never has to leave these arms.

He tries to tell him, and he thinks he does, but the reality is that his lips move to form words that his vocal chords won't let him speak.

"I love you, Kaname. Don't ever let go of me, okay? We'll be together forever. Just you and me."

And maybe he should notice his own mind as it slips away, but he doesn't because he only wants to notice Kaname and feel Kaname and be with Kaname.

He does not know that he is dying.

He does not know that the man holding him is crying and screaming and _begging_.

He does not know that Yuuki is there, too, and that she's holding her brother's hand as he screams.

He does not know that this is the end, and that he'll never get to love Kaname like he do desperately needs to.

* * *

Yuuki watches everything; she _sees_ it all, but she doesn't really notice anything that isn't Kaname or Zero as one breathes and the other dies.

She watches men and women as they watch her and sees the President as she sobs quietly in the corner, surrounded by large men with stony faces. Her eyes follow a group of older women as they fumble hopelessly with a first-aid kit, hoping to awaken one of their fallen comrades – a young girl with broken glasses who had apparently fainted before their arrival.

But her heart is with her brother because she, too, loved the silver-haired hunter.

Tears stream quietly down her own face as she does her best to keep it together.

_Maybe he'll wake up. He has to wake up_.

* * *

Mari stumbles through the darkness.

"Hello?" she calls, hoping to find someone else in this strange, seemingly endless dark space.

"Am I dead?" she whispers. Last she knew, she was falling backwards, but, surely, not into her own death?

Her feet seem to move of their own accord, taking her closer and closer towards something that she knows nothing about.

"Hello?" she asks again, this time a bit louder.

"Is someone…there?"

She freezes as the voice washes over her senses.

_It can't be…_

But it is.

Zero Kiryuu steps through the darkness – a bright, glowing light surrounding him as he stares at the secretary in confusion.

"Why are you in my dream?"

And then it all comes back to her.

Mari isn't a superstitious person, and she _certainly_ didn't believe in spirits. They were just characters in stories used to scare young hunters away from darker and older forms of hunter magic.

She didn't believe in angels, either, but what else can she call the glowing man before her?

"Z-Zero? Zero Kiryuu?"

His smile is breath-taking. "That's me. Now, how about you tell me why you're in my dream?"

Her brows furrow in confusion. "This…this isn't a dream, Zero. You – you're _dead_."

He laughs, and it fills the room with a sweet, melodic echo. "_Right_!"

"Don't you remember?"

"Remember what, exactly, hmm?"

"Masako, she…shot…you…"

More laughter. "Where's the bullet, then? The wound?"

She almost slaps herself, but, as if on cue, blood leaks from a hole in the boy's shoulder. With a shaky finger, she points towards it. "There, I g-guess."

And then another voice comes through.

It's faded and hard to hear, but it's there – coming from somewhere beyond the shadows.

Mari weaves her fingers through her hair and pulls because _surely_ this is a dream.

"_Wake up, Zero! Please wake up! Come on, damn it! You don't get to leave me!"_

Another, smoother, quieter voice. _"Kaname, you can't save him…"_

"_No, he's not dead! He's _not_!"_

The hunter looks around in terror, trying to find the source of the voices but unable to find them in the black.

"Kaname?" he whispers. His voice is laden with enough sorrow to still a beating heart.

Mari's face flushes. "Y-your…_partner_, right? The pureblood? The male one, I mean." All of a sudden, she remembers there being _two_ purebloods; one an incredibly handsome man and the other a delicately proportioned female.

Zero doesn't notice that one little fact, though, for he's too caught up in forcing his memories to the surface in a desperate attempt to escape and get to Kaname. "How do I get out of the place?" he hisses, directing the harshly spoken words in her direction.

There must be _some_ reason for her presence.

"I-I don't know…" she mumbles, awkwardly tugging on her hair as she turns around to view every angle of what appears to be a room painted by a star-less, moon-less night. "Maybe we…we just need to tell ourselves that it's time to wake up." And she tries, but it doesn't work.

The look of concentration on the hunter's face show that he's doing the same, but nothing happens to him, either. "It didn't _work_!"

"Look, I'm sorry but…"

"No! There has to be _some_ way…We can't really be…" But if the blood flowing freely from the painless wound near his heart gives him any answers, and if this really isn't a dream, then there _isn't_ a way, and it really _can_ be.

He eyes the young girl desperately, but she seems just as lost – if not more than – him.

"_Zero, _please_!"_

"Kaname," he whispers. "Kaname, I'm here! I'm not _dead_!"

But, if he's being honest with himself…

What else can this be?

He remembers the President and her sad, regretful eyes as she pulled the trigger. He even remembers her whispered apology as she watched him fall without really _seeing_ him.

"It can't end like this…" he says. "Not now. It's too early! God _damn it_!"

Mari watches from a safe distance, afraid of his rage.

She, too, is lost for answers and desperate to find a way out, but now is no time to play with hope. Maybe she really_ is_ dead. Maybe this _is_ death – just an empty, black room.

Still, that doesn't explain why she's trapped with Zero Kiryuu. Before this moment, they've never exchanged so much as a glance in the same direction.

"So, how'd you fall in love with a pureblood?" The words sort of just fall from her tongue. Embarrassed, she covers her mouth and looks away to hide her flaming cheeks from his radiant glow.

He snorts and shakes his head. "That's a pretty dumb question, don't you think?"

"I don't, actually." Again with the embarrassment.

"It doesn't matter how we…_fell in love_, okay? All that matters is getting back to him."

"He really cares for you. I can tell." _Shut up, Mari!_

"Yah, well, I'd hope so." This time, his voice is quiet and his eyes are cast towards where, in any normal room, a ceiling would be.

"_Zero…"_

And then something happens, and Mari doesn't really know how to describe it.

Her jaw falls open as she waves her hands for the hunter's attention, hoping to drag his eyes towards the same sight she's seeing. Her lungs seem to cave in, making it impossible to speak.

"_I love you so much."_

"What…"

The light is beautiful; much more so than the pathetic glow coming from the boy.

Beside him, Mari gasps for air and hisses with pain, but he's trapped in the light and he can't really _focus_…

"_Don't leave me."_

He takes a step towards it, too infatuated to worry over why Mari isn't following.

"_Without you, I'll be so lonely."_

And then the light doesn't seem so beautiful anymore.

"_There will be nothing left to live for if you go."_

"What am I doing…?"

Pain, worse than any he's ever known, strikes through his chest before spreading through every part of his body. It flows with his blood, which is trailing quickly down his side.

The crimson substance chokes him as it pools in his throat. He gasps and coughs, but it only brings more to the surface.

"_Come back to me, Zero."_

He will live for Kaname.

He will live for their love.

He doesn't understand it, but he doesn't have to.

Mari smiles even as her head throbs from the pain of the fall. She watches Zero's eyes as they glow in happiness, uncaring of the pain that consumes all that he is.

"_It's not your time to die."_

And then he's breathing again.

And it's beautiful.

* * *

"Kaname? Kaname, look!"

Yuuki shoves her brother, nearly pushing him flat on his face as she points excitedly at the otherwise still body of the boy. "Kaname, he's _breathing_!"

The pureblood struggles through the tears, but he eventually manages to catch the steady, nearly ragged way the youth's chest rises and falls.

Happiness so great that it nearly knocks him over overcomes his senses as the rest of the world fades, and it's just him and Zero and it was always him and Zero and it will always be him and Zero and no one else matters no one else has ever mattered…

And Zero smiles, and it's going to be okay.

It will be okay.

_This is how it was supposed to be._

* * *

**AN: **I updated sooo fast!:D I bet you guys are sitting there like, "What the fuuuuuuuuuuudge?"

Not only did I just update like, lickity-split, but this chapter is totally all over the place:P

It kind of just wrote itself, and I didn't have the heart to go back and slow things down. I just LOVE the idea and the emotions and blaalkharkjd

It's moments like these that I adore;D

If you're confused, I understand.

Just state your confusion in a review and I'll do my best to clear it up. Just don't ask about Yuuki - you're not getting any answers until the next chapter (which might actually end up being the epilogue:P);)

Even if you think it's crap, I'm not changin' it.

I LOOOOVE IIITTT!

review? yah, i think so:)


	12. Of Forever

**AN: **TWO HUNDRED REVIEWS!:D I can't even express my gratitude towards all of you reviewers! Seriously, you guys have given me so much love, and when this story is over I don't rightly know what I'll do without it *dramatic sniffle*

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: **Of Forever

_But I promise you this, I'll always look out for you. That's what I'll do. –Coldplay, Sparks_

The room is bright – nearly _blinding_.

First, he's able to make out the ceiling – white and perfectly tiled; every square is the same size, and the spaces between them seem to have been measured by a perfectionist.

Next are the flowers. The colors are all obnoxious, ranging from periwinkle blue to flamingo pink. There are roses, too – lots of them.

Then, he notices the furniture. There's a nice-looking set of chairs and a couch on the other side of the room, all of them a deep, navy blue. The light shimmers off of their sanitary surfaces.

Finally, and with the most clarity, is the body sprawled out on the couch. It is lean and well-muscled, and sports a silky patch of tousled, brown hair. The man is sleeping with his face buried in his arms, so he can't really make out the features of his face, but Zero knows who it is.

His heart goes off like a rocket.

_I-I'm _alive_…?_

But he shouldn't be, because the last thing he remembers is the sting of an anti-vampire bullet as it pierced his flesh. He can still see the President as her face loses its elegance and her hands shake even after the trigger's been pulled.

He doesn't really have the time for all that, though.

He just needs to get up and hug Kaname again – kiss him, touch him, feel him, ravish him.

It feels as if though he's gone much too long without being in those arms.

When he tries to get up, though, something pulls him back. He struggles for a bit, determined to fight whatever it is that's keeping him attached to this bed.

Looking around, he sees that strings of clear tubes run from his wrist to a bag hanging from a metal hanger. The bag is small and fat with some unidentifiable, clear liquid that smells _awful_. Growling, Zero pulls at the tubes, only to find them buried pretty deep in his wrist. He shivers at the thought of having some sort of needle digging around his veins before shoving his hand under the blanket and staring longingly at his lover.

Kaname looks beautiful when he sleeps. All vulnerable and what-not.

It reminds Zero of a lost and sleepy puppy.

The hunter laughs when his mind fits a pair of whiskers and floppy ears against the face and head of the elder vampire. He clutches his stomach when Kaname twitches a wet, black nose.

Vaguely, he's aware of what's in the bag he was just examining, but he's too busy laughing to panic over the thought of being drugged. Besides, Kaname's here. Nothing bad can happen when Kaname's in the same room.

He's still laughing when the sleeping pureblood opens wide, sleepy eyes.

It's with shock that the pureblood rolls upward. For a moment, he simply stares at Zero, unable to firmly grasp the situation and understand just what this means.

Of course, he had known that Zero would live, but to actually see him _awake_…

Ignoring the remaining chuckles that shake the younger's body, he surges forward and grabs Zero's hands in his.

He throws his own body over his lover's, a silent show of protection and ownership.

Because he will never let something like this happen _ever_ again.

Zero clings to him in turn, smiling like an idiot as he watches the tears roll from the pureblood's cheeks. Tears of joy, no doubt.

Joy because nothing will tear them apart; not this time. Joy because it's finally over – the fears and the doubts and the prior obligations. Joy because nothing else matters, and little else ever will.

The hunter doesn't even care about how it all came to be. He just wants to fall asleep in these arms and wake up in these arms and _live_ in these arms. He wants to stop being scared and throw everything else away because _none of it matters and he really just doesn't give a damn as long as he's with Kaname._

"Kaname," he whispers, still smiling. "I'm happy, you know? Really really_ really_ happy. So happy that I'll never be this happy again." And his words are slurred because he really should be asleep, but Kaname doesn't care and he doesn't care and _who cares_?

"I know," Kaname whispers, and his smile is radiant and his eyes are sparkling and Zero's head starts to spin but it doesn't matter. "I love you."

"Hmm. Love you, too."

And then he's falling asleep again.

But Kaname doesn't care.

Because it doesn't matter.

* * *

If Zero's being honest, he's growing pretty tired of the waking-up, falling asleep, and waking-up again cycle. It pisses him off to no end because he wants to wake-up and stay up, _damn it_! He wants to hug and kiss Kaname and take them as far away from this fucking hospital as physically possible.

Every time he opens his eyes, things are blurry and hard to understand, but he can always make out Kaname.

The pureblood's figure is always easy to find.

When other people are in the room, fretting over him with quiet squawks of disapproval and leaning over him and patting his hair back into place, he doesn't even let himself wonder who it is or why they're there. He only wants to watch Kaname, even if can't really see him.

He just wants to absorb every movement and try not to get too frustrated as sleep once again claims him. He just needs to hope for the moment when he can open his eyes and really _see_ his lover again.

* * *

Not for the first time this week, Kaname finds his eyes tracing the lines of his sister's fair features. Again, he tries to understand when his longing for her stopped and the longing for Zero began.

Yuuki is beautiful; always was. Even before the inevitable events that led up to her becoming what she now is, she was beautiful.

Still, she isn't _beautiful_. Not like Zero.

She can't even touch his beauty.

So, while the Headmaster squeals over how long her hair is, he looks back towards the bed.

And he smiles.

And he wonders what life would be like if things had ended differently – if he had never woken up and hadn't made it to Zero's side in time. He wonders how many bullets the President would have put through his lover's chest just to make sure that he was well and truly dead.

He doesn't want to think about it, but the thoughts just won't stop.

What would life be like without the hunter? Would he even want to keep on breathing, himself?

_No, of course not._

_I am nothing without him._

And his eyes water, but that's okay, because the tears are of happiness and he doesn't even care if purebloods aren't supposed to cry because he's already broken that rule about a million times in the past week or so.

He can't wait until Zero wakes up for good – un-drugged and back to his normal self. He can't wait to hold the hunter in his arms and whisper "_I love you_," over and over again. He can't wait until it's just the two of them – living for one another and _finally_ letting themselves be happy.

And then Yuuki's calling his name, and her voice is sweet and calming, but it's not the one he wants to hear. Maybe, years ago, but not anymore.

So, with one last look at his beloved, he stands up and sits beside his sister, doing his best to pay attention to whatever it is that she's going on about.

* * *

When Zero wakes up, it's to the face of a pretty-looking nurse. She smiles sweetly down at him before shaking her head. "You've been out of it for quite a while. What's it like to be awake?" And then she laughs, and it's really quite odd, and he realizes that maybe he's still a bit drugged-up.

Reaching up to scratch his head, he nods a bit and mumbles, "Uhm, yah."

She taps her finger to his nose, causing him to flinch as the distinct scent of _vampire_ washes over his senses, clearing up a bit of the fog.

She nods, clearly having done it on purpose, before shuffling from the room. "I'll let your visitors in now, I suppose. Quite a rowdy bunch, they are. Pretty, too." And then she laughs again, and he wonders if it really is the drugs making her seem crazy.

Her form disappears behind a set of sliding, glass doors – her curvy features becoming blurry behind the heavy substance. He watches her stop and address a massive, black-brown blob before skipping away, and Zero swears he can hear her laughter.

_Goddamn happy people…_

And it doesn't really hit him – what's about to happen. Maybe it's the drugs, or maybe it's the exhaustion, but he really can't wrap his mind around what's about to un-fold.

He can only watch the doors open to reveal the one person he's wanted to see for days – weeks? – now. He can only smile and struggle through the wires and shout and finally pull free and jump at Kaname and wrap his arms around those shoulders and kiss those cheeks and those _lips_.

He can only live in the moment as Kaname kisses him back, and he doesn't know whose tears are whose because they're both crying and it doesn't matter that people are watching because he's _finally_ where he _needs_ to be.

His heart is a restless tempo in his chest as Kaname wraps his arms firmly around his young lover's back. _How long has it been?_

Behind them, Yagari looks at Toga, smiles, and takes his hand. Yuuki notices this from the corner of her eye as she takes the time to admire a vase of daisies sitting beside Zero's bed and smiles secretively. This is the first time the two have made it obvious, but she's always known.

And behind even them stands a small, smiling girl with crooked glasses. She watches the couple as they kiss for a brief moment before blushing and looking away, deciding that maybe now isn't the time. She only wanted to check up on the hunter – to make sure that he was really okay.

Clearly, he's _better_ than okay.

So, with a lazy sigh, she turns and walks away, barely catching the small wave the pureblood girl casts in her direction. She raises her own hand and heads towards the exit, feeling anything but sad as she leaves.

Because they've all found their happiness.

And things will be okay.

* * *

"Oh, you tricky thing!" the nurse mumbles as she messes with the wires that Zero had made a point to rip apart. "You've gone and ruined the darned thing!" She glares at him, but her eyes are still warm and she's smiling.

"Sorry," he manages through a yawn.

Finally, she gives up. Placing her hands on her hips, she asks, "Do you feel any pain when you stretch?"

Raising his arms above his head, he smiles smugly when no pain comes. "Nope!"

She rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "You know, most people enjoy staying in hospitals. Having others tend to their every need…"

"Right, like you're _that_ dependent."

From his position at the edge of Zero's bed, Kaname watches the two bicker with amusement lighting his eyes. At first, he had been scared of what his lover's reaction would be to being nurtured in a vampire facility, but the young ex-human didn't seem to care.

Maybe distancing himself from the Society had something to do with it, but, either way, Kaname was happy with the results. He can't remember a moment in time in which Zero smiled so much.

Shaking her head, the nurse shuffles from the room, scribbling something down on a scratchpad before disappearing behind the sliding doors.

Zero smiles at Kaname, who smiles back before leaning in to kiss the hunter.

When he pulls away, Zero whines and grabs fistfuls of the pureblood's hair, dragging him back in for more. "Not done yet," he mumbles.

Kaname chuckles before pulling Zero's bottom lip into his mouth and biting down on it experimentally. Of course, his lover moans and tries to pull them closer, but Kaname knows that now isn't the time and place.

"Not now, Zero," he whispers. And it's hard, because his own body is aching for the long awaited contact, but there are still things that need to be discussed and taken care of. Besides, they can't get to making good and proper love making in the middle of a hospital, can they?

Zero sighs but pulls away, letting his hands fall to the pureblood's shoulders. "So, uh, how's Yuuki?"

It's the first time he's asked about her. Every time she was in the room, he would make a point to just look the other way. He'd asked Kaname to make sure that she never came alone, but that was as far as he went in regards to paying her any attention.

Kaname blinks a few times before smiling and taking his lover's hands in his own. "She wants to talk to you, you know. She misses you, too."

The hunter's eyes flash with guilt. "I just…I don't understand. I'm gone for an hour and suddenly she's a pureblood vampire _and_ your sister. How the hell does that make any sense?" And that old and bitter frustration returns to the surface.

Although Kaname's rather enjoyed Zero's care-free mood, he can't lie and say that a part of him hasn't missed the more cynical side of his lover. It's hard to understand why, but without the boy's nasty remarks and dark humor, the pureblood found himself a bit lost.

"I know, Zero, but now isn't…"

"Yes, Kaname, it _is_." His eyes are now blazing with determination and anger as he pulls Kaname's face so that their eyes are locked. "Stop worrying over what it will do to my health and tell me why Yuuki – who is no longer a _human_ – is looking at you like she_ owns_ you."

Kaname sighs. How long will it take – to tell Zero of a life that had nothing to do with him? To tell him of past positions and of a love that died ages ago? Will he understand, or will Zero doubt his own love for the pureblood and leave?

"I'll tell you, Zero, but you have to understand something first, okay?"

Zero doesn't want to nod. He doesn't really know what's going on, doesn't know why Yuuki seems so attached to the man who is apparently her brother. Kaname won't ever say it out loud, but he finds the hunter's jealousy to be quite cute.

Zero sighs and gives a small nod, looking past Kaname's shoulder as he waits for the worst. He hates to admit it, but there's fear curling in his stomach. What if Kaname leaves him for Yuuki? What if all of those kisses were just a part of the show? A part of him wants to roll his eyes at his own stupidity, but another just wants to start crying and begging the pureblood to stay.

"Well, Yuuki and I, we go back a_ long_ time…"

* * *

The Headmaster stares at Toga from across the table and just _watches_.

He loves the way the other man fiddles with his cigarettes (even when Cross has told him about a million times now _to put the damned things out_!), and the way his good eye seems to trace every single physical aspect of his surroundings, like he's never really completely out of hunter mode. He loves how soft he is, even if his features and words suggest otherwise. He loves…Well, he loves _him_.

And without him, he doesn't know what he'd do.

Surely, Yuuki will want to move on. She doesn't need him anymore.

Years ago, the thought would have torn him to pieces. Back then, Yuuki was his whole world.

Now, with Toga at his side, it doesn't matter quite so much. As long as he gets to grow old with this beautiful man by his side.

Of course, Toga will miss Zero, too, but it's time for them to move on. While they never pictured it quite like this, they always knew how the cards would fall.

So, when Toga is looking over his shoulder as if to properly examine the coffee maker in his lover's kitchen, Kaien leans over the table, grabs that familiar chin in his hands, and brings their lips together in the sweetest of kisses.

Much to his delight, his lover smiles into the contact.

And all is as it should be.

* * *

Yuuki's back in her old room, tracing the walls with her eyes.

It still smells the same – perfume-y and with the faintest hint of shampoo. She smiles at the memories and falls back onto her mattress, wondering just how well her friends will respond to her being moved to the Night Class.

They will never get to see each other, of course. The rules won't be bent for just one girl – pureblood or otherwise.

She wonders how the rest of the world will see her. No one expected this to happen. Not for a good few years, at least.

But none of that really matters.

All that matters is her brother's happiness, even if it pains her for reasons that she still doesn't really understand. He tried to explain it – going on for ages about their past and how they had once loved each other as wholly as he now loved Zero. (Or something close to that, anyway. He had said that no one really had what they did.)

He mumbled things about their connection, and how it was muddled by unrequited and new feelings that left others scrabbling to get back to the surface. The elder pureblood was too worried about his lover to really go into great detail, but the point was that Yuuki was suffering from the loss of someone she once loved very,_ very _much.

At first, she had protested. It wasn't as if she hadn't loved Kaname as a human. Maybe not quite so much as she once may have believed, but she still yearned for him.

And at that, her brother laughed before running off to check on Zero – letting the subject drop for as long as he possibly could, she was sure.

But she found that she didn't mind – still doesn't – probably never will. Her heart longs for Kaname, but not in any way that she can't undo.

Inhaling the scent of her human self, she smiles. She wonders how long the smell will last – if it will ever truly fade. She wonders when she will forget all that was and remember all that _was_.

She wonders, briefly, when the world will make sense.

Before coming to the conclusion that it will never seem so whilst living beside all who she has loved.

* * *

It's another week before Zero is allowed to leave.

"I don't need the damned _chair_, Kaname! Just let me walk!"

The pureblood cocks his head to the side as if in thought. "Hmm…I think…_not_." He then proceeds to push the hunter back into the wheel chair. "If the doctor says you need this to get better, then you _need_ it. No questions asked. I won't have you getting hurt on me."

Walking behind the device to grab the handles and push, he bends over far enough to graze the hunter's cheek with his lips. "Now stop fighting. The sooner we get home the sooner we can get on with…things of more _importance_."

Blushing, the younger vampire pouts but doesn't complain.

And then they're pushing through the sliding doors that form the exit; Kaname looking back to wave at the nurses before turning away from the hospital for what he hopes will be the first and only time.

He smiles as he heads towards the limo, feeding off of the positive aura radiating from his lover.

Sure, they have some important things to discuss, but that talk may take hours.

Hours that he wants to spend doing something else.

* * *

Kaname insists on carrying Zero, bridal-style, towards his room. He uses his speed to rush them towards the Moon Dorms, barely registering Zero's frown as he struggles in the pureblood's arms, mumbling something about _his own two legs_.

The pureblood takes no time in kissing Zero, slamming him against the door the second it closes. Zero moans and kisses back, making an attempt at tongue before whining in frustration when the pureblood doesn't let it happen.

He pulls away with a chuckle, letting their lips brush the slightest bit. "You know, I should hate you for all that you've put me through these past few weeks."

And Zero's heart breaks a bit. Because he thought it was all said and done.

Kaname smiles. "You put me through hell, Zero, but I never once doubted my love for you. Even with Yuuki around, I couldn't let myself get over you." He pulls back a bit to trace Zero's lips with his fingers, letting their eyes connect and trying not to swoon at the contact. "I love you, Zero, and I always will."

And, sure, it doesn't make sense.

_A pureblood and an ex-human?_

Others would doubt their legitimacy and mock them for their decisions. No doubt, it would take the Senate quite a long time to get used to the idea, but Kaname would let no other option pass. The Hunter Society would be after Zero, too, but Kaname could handle that. Besides, with the argument that the President's mental health wasn't properly up to check, there was no doubt in his mind that they would win.

And so he smiles when they kiss again.

And he smiles even wider when Zero pulls away to whisper, "I love you, too."

And there are things to discuss; to dissect and understand.

But they have years to talk about all that.

Right now, it's the two of them.

And it always will be.

**AN: **Guys, I don't even know what so say! You've all been so loyal; even during my breaks and busy points! I-I don't seriously have words to express how happy I am to have heard from some of you lovely people:D This is pretty much the end – with the exception of an epilogue (which will have you all squealing like good and proper fan girls;D). Which is where my proper goodbye will be located:)

I know I may have left some gaps and what-not, and for that I am truly sorry:P Just send me a review and I'll do my best to get a response out ASAP!

Now, on to other news…Who has a tumblr? Guuurl, if you have one, you BEST be lookin' me up.

w w w. b r o o k e m a l f o y . t u m b l r . c o m

That's me!:D (only without the spaces)

Follow me, gurl;)

(P.S. I don't post mostly…well, I don't really post ANYTHING that has to do with VK, but I still love me some followers:3)

(P.S.S haha, how selfish of me:P)

Now, let's at LEAST get to 230 reviews before this baby comes to an official end!~:D~


	13. Epilogue

**Chapter: **EPILOGUE

**AN: **Never have I ever cried so freaking hard.

_**-three months later-**_

Yuuki leans over to straighten his tie before pulling back with a smirk of satisfaction. "And you were against the idea of a fancy affair. You look lovely, Zero."

The silver-haired hunter examines his reflection in the mirror, barely believing what his own eyes are seeing. Sure, he's worn suits before, but never ones so expensive. Most of the time, he was wearing ones that he had found at hand-me-down shops. This one, though, fits him _perfectly_. There are no loose strings, and the undershirt is snug in a way that brings definition to his slim torso.

Its white color suits his features nicely, and the lilac tie that matches his eyes makes everything that much better.

"Brother will lose his head, surely," Yuuki giggles. "I've never seen you quite so dignified."

Zero blushes. "Yah, well, I bet he'll look a million times better. What with the looks of a god and all."

"Zero?"

"Yah?"

"Be quiet. Now, let's go. Yagari's waiting."

The hunter feels an unwanted flutter in his stomach. "Uh, maybe I should wait a bit…"

Yuuki grabs his collar and pulls, careful not to wrinkle anything but eager to get this show on the road. She just wants to see her brother and best friend _happy_ for once.

The past three months have been hell. Not only was Zero's act a sore spot for Kaname, but the pureblood's beauty and connection to his sister were ones for Zero, as well. It was hard for the hunter to get over his own jealousy, which lead to many unnecessary fights and bouts of ignorance that drove Yuuki insane.

Sure, it was hard for her to get over Kaname, but she didn't think her struggle was _that_ obvious.

According to Zero, she was "obsessed", and was, _according to him_, "interfering" just a bit too much.

He refused to acknowledge it, but the hunter was clearly very, _very_ jealous.

He got over it, though. Apparently, her brother had more skill in the bedroom than she could have ever thought possible.

Not that she ever really thought about it…_that_ much.

"You'll do just fine, Zero," she soothes, hoping that the message gets through his stubbornly thick skull. "And you look quite handsome. My brother will have to fight his best not to faint."

The assurance did little to settle the hunter's nerves.

"Seriously, I think I'll just wait here…"

"Zero Kiryuu!" Suddenly, Yuuki is right in front of him, glaring with the intensity of a thousand fires burning in hell. "My brother has never been happier, and you are not about to take that away from him! Or _you_, for that matter! I've never known you to be quite so pleasant, and it's because of Kaname that you're like that. So, do Kaname a favor and leave this room before he grows restless enough to drag you out himself!"

And maybe most people don't respond well to yelling, least of all _Zero_, but something seems to settle in the hunter's head.

He stands up, brushes the creases from his slacks, and brushes past Yuuki with the air of someone madly and passionately in love.

* * *

Not much registers as Yagari loops his arm through Zero's, beaming with pride as the doors are pulled open from the other side. It's all a blur until he can see Kaname, and it takes a great deal of will-power (and a good tug from Yagari) to keep him from running to the alter.

Of course, Kaname looks stunning.

The black suit and red tie do wonders to his already flawless complexion, literally giving him the appearance of a god.

The pureblood smiles tenderly at the sight of his beloved, eager to move forward with the procession just to reap the benefits of getting to call Zero his _husband_.

His one-and-only, his lover, his _soulmate_.

With all of this comes the determination to keep what they have for as long as time will allow.

And with Kaname's power, it will last forever.

He knows there will be fights. He knows that he will have to leave for the occasional meeting with the Senate, and that, in turn, he will find himself selfishly wondering what Zero is making with his free-time – if he is alone or if there are others meant to take Kaname's place. There will be moments when such ideas will shock him because of _course _Zero isn't like that, and there will be moments when he can believe nothing less. There will be jealousy and rage.

There will be passion and lust and _love_.

They are strong enough to take on the world.

And they will.

Zero's steps are slow – much too slow for Kaname's liking. If it weren't for the others watching, so eager to witness a _real_ vampire bonding ceremony, then they would have been married _hours_ ago. There would have been no fancy suits or expensive preachers – just the two of them and the ritual that Kaname knew by heart.

His hunter seems nervous but proud – like he's trying desperately to keep his composure. The boy's aura is a mix of eager and frightened, which surely comes from the familiar and instinctual fear of vampires.

But he is still the most stunning person in the room. Even more stunning than Yuuki, who is smiling proudly beside one eager-looking Aido. Even more stunning that the aristocrats with their fair features. Even more stunning than Cross with his silk ensemble and flower hair-clips.

Kaname can't keep his eyes off of his beloved.

Because no one has ever been more beautiful, more _pure_.

And after all that they've been through, Kaname can only hope that better days will come.

It all starts with those two, simple little words.

They tingle on his lips long before the moment when they will need to be spoken out loud.

They curl around his heart and squeeze it with the burning and exhilarating excitement that comes with their meaning, which is _so_ much deeper than their intended significance.

Soon enough, it will be them against the world.

And he can't wait.

_I do._

_**~the End~**_

**AN: ***le creys*

Guys, you've all been so lovely…I can't even take it *sniffle*

I'm sorry this took so long to get out, but I've been SO busy lately, and it's not even cool, but here it is – the END! – and I hope you like it:)

It's been such a great ride, and I hope to hear from ALL of you later on!

So, to finish it all off…

Just leave one last review for this crying author

*heartzzz*


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